TY - JOUR A1 - Anheier, Helmut K. A1 - Lang, Markus A1 - Knudsen, Edward L. T1 - Introducing the Berggruen Governance Index I: Conceptual and methodological framework JF - Global Policy N2 - Governance is at the heart of how well governments meet public needs and manage a wide array of common problems. Why do some countries perform poorly in delivering healthcare, reducing inequality, providing a clean environment or delivering some other public good to their populations even while they have the resources to do so? Does the capacity of states to provide the basics for societies to thrive depend on forms of democratic accountability that represents different interests, or are systems under technocratic control that impose solutions and disregard, even suppress, many voices better at meeting public needs? Existing indices do not systematically examine the relationship between the components that contribute to governance performance. In our understanding of governance, depicted as the Governance Triangle, public goods provision is a function of state capacity and accountability. Rather than focusing on a single composite performance measure, the Berggruen Governance Index examines the interactions among these dimensions. We find that the key to good governance is achieving a balance among the three dimensions on an upward and sustainable trajectory. This article introduces the Index and the conceptual and methodological framework that underpins it and then outlines the content of this special issue. Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.13278 VL - 14 IS - S4 SP - 5 EP - 15 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Anheier, Helmut K. A1 - Knudsen, Edward L. T1 - The 21st century trust and leadership problem: Quoi faire? JF - Global Policy N2 - Much of the democratic world faces a form of socio-political crisis. To varying degrees, four trends seem to be present in almost every case: declining institutional trust, failing leadership, increasing political polarisation, and weakened accountability. Although each trend has its own dynamic and causes, they jointly create complex challenges and governance problems for democratic societies. Furthermore, underlying them all is the persistent problem of inequality, which erodes trust, prevents the best leaders from rising to the top, polarises society, and shields elites from accountability. We propose a wide range of potential solutions to this crisis. Of the four, we propose that countries focus primarily on increasing institutional trust and improving leadership potential. Both aspects are particularly impactful and malleable, could influence the other two components and, over time, create a virtuous cycle pulling countries out of crisis. Proposed measures for institutional trust include expanded civic literacy, more expansive regulation of tech platforms, stricter media laws to foster better public discourse and a wider use of codes of conduct. For leadership, we propose more diverse channels and expanded selection pools for leadership recruitment, emphasising ethical conviction and targeted incentives for leadership roles. Essential to all of them, however, is tackling inequality. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.13162 SN - 1758-5880 SP - 1 EP - 10 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Anheier, Helmut K. A1 - List, Regina A. A1 - Knudsen, Edward L. T1 - Advancing governance indicator systems: Lessons learned from the 2022 symposium JF - Global Policy N2 - The Berggruen Governance Index (BGI) is a new and innovative entry into the crowded domain of quantitative governance research. In its effort to contribute to the field, the BGI builds off of and acts in dialogue with several other governance indicator projects from across the globe. As part of a collaborative outlook, the BGI convened the first of three symposia at the UCLA Luskin School in October 2022, titled ‘Advancing Governance Indicator Systems: The 2022 Conference’. The event invited representatives from other indicator projects to share their thoughts on the BGI, present their own projects and discuss avenues for further research and development of ‘planetary’ indicators. This article discusses the highlights and key contributions from the conference. Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.13284 VL - 14 IS - S4 SP - 136 EP - 146 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Anheier, Helmut K. A1 - Lang, Markus A1 - Knudsen, Edward L. T1 - Introducing the Berggruen Governance Index II: Initial results, 2000–2019 JF - Global Policy N2 - This article presents an overview of some of the main findings from our analysis of the Berggruen Governance Index for the 2000–2019 period. It first examines overall governance performance across world regions, singles out general trends and identifies top and bottom performers. It then briefly reviews the comparative governance performance of world powers like the United States, Brazil, China, major European countries, India and Russia as well as other selected countries in the post-Soviet space. Finally, we address more analytic questions to show the versatility of the index for hypothesis testing and theoretical purposes. Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.13277 VL - 14 IS - S4 SP - 16 EP - 34 ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Anheier, Helmut K. A1 - Knudsen, Edward L. A1 - Antes, Nicole A1 - Hamad, Mariam A1 - Kibwana, Aisha A1 - Markovic-Vastag, Darinka T1 - External Cultural Policy in International Comparison: Summary of the Report Y1 - 2019 UR - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-45030 N1 - This study was carried out as part of the project "Foreign Cultural and Educational Policy in Comparison: Germany and its Competitors", which was conducted by the Hertie School and supported by the Federal Foreign Office. PB - Hertie School CY - Berlin ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Knudsen, Edward L. T1 - The weaponisation of the US financial system: How can Europe respond? N2 - US secondary sanctions present a unique challenge for Europe. These measures limit where European firms can operate, hinder the EU’s ability to maintain its foreign commitments, and limit Europe’s ambitions of achieving strategic sovereignty. The US’s re-imposition of secondary sanctions on Iran in May 2018 has highlighted this issue. With geopolitical tensions rising, it is possible that the US could impose secondary sanctions on larger EU trading partners. In light of this possibility, this paper explores why secondary sanctions are so effective and offers concrete proposals to counter them. Y1 - 2020 UR - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-35581 UR - https://www.delorscentre.eu/de/publikationen/detail/publication/the-weaponisation-of-the-us-financial-system-how-can-europe-respond ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Knudsen, Edward L. T1 - Stable or stagnant? Political economy and governance in the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Germany since 2000 JF - Global Policy N2 - At the beginning of the twenty‐first century, the large democracies of Western Europe experienced some of the most prosperous and peaceful decades in human history. Specifically, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Germany experienced high and stable quality of life, democratic accountability and state capacity between 2000 and 2019, according to the 2022 Berggruen Governance Index. While all four of these countries are among the top performers in the Index, substantial problems lurk beneath the surface. Notably, each failed to capitalise on the low interest rate environment in the decade following the global financial crisis of 2007–2009—albeit in different ways and for different reasons in each country. In particular, low investment in infrastructure and key technologies, the persistence of stubborn regional inequalities, and resulting sluggish GDP growth have prevented the ‘Big Four’ in Western Europe from improving further and future‐proofing their existing gains. Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.13271 SN - 1758-5880 VL - 14 IS - S4 SP - 90 EP - 103 PB - Wiley ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Knudsen, Edward L. T1 - No going back? A transatlantic cooperation agenda under Biden N2 - If Joe Biden is elected US President in November, will he restore the preTrump era of transatlantic relations? While some Europeans may wish for that, it is neither feasible nor desirable, as Edward Knudsen argues in this policy brief. A changing geopolitical landscape and declining economic conditions mean that new solutions are needed. Instead of focussing on traditional forms of cooperation like liberalising trade and bolstering defence, the US and EU should work together to tackle inequality and corruption, address the climate emergency, and defuse geopolitical tensions. Y1 - 2020 UR - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-36871 ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Knudsen, Edward L. T1 - A kinder, gentler “America First?” Taking stock of transatlantic relations under Biden N2 - Over 100 days into the Biden administration, how have transatlantic relations shifted? This policy brief builds upon analysis from an October 2020 piece titled “No going back? A transatlantic cooperation agenda under Biden” and examines lessons for European policymakers from the first few months of Joe Biden’s presidency. It argues that while Biden has retained many core parts of Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda, there are still several promising avenues for transatlantic cooperation over the coming years. These include accelerated climate action, coordinated economic stimulus, and ensuring global vaccine access. Reaching these goals will require joint action to defuse geopolitical tensions and ensure greater economic justice at home and abroad. Y1 - 2021 UR - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-39323 UR - https://www.delorscentre.eu/en/publications/detail/publication/a-kinder-gentler-america-first ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Knudsen, Edward L. T1 - A falling star? Origins of declining state capacity and democratic accountability in the United States JF - Global Policy N2 - AbstractThe United States—often hailed as the ‘oldest democracy in the world’ and the ‘leader of the free world’—has fallen on hard times. In addition to recent headline‐grabbing political events that have highlighted its political dysfunction, data from the 2022 Berggruen Governance Index (BGI) reveal that overall state capacity and democratic accountability have been declining for years. Although public goods provision has remained on a steady course, the US still trails much of the developed world. We find this struggling performance is largely the result of neglecting three types of infrastructure: civic, physical and social. Specifically, we argue that the crisis became particularly pronounced due to an insufficient response to the 2008 global financial crisis. Although some recent political achievements could slow the decline, more drastic action will be required to reverse these troubling trends. Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.13282 SN - 1758-5880 VL - 14 IS - S4 SP - 47 EP - 57 PB - Wiley ER -