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The development of nihilistic violence

Terrorism without a goal?

Nihilistic violent extremism (NVE) is a violent scene that has been growing since the second half of the 2010s. Members of the community reject civil society values, have a misanthropic worldview, communicate primarily via online platforms and are internationally networked. Children and adolescents can be both perpetrators and victims and switch between these roles.

Felix Neumann
January 8, 2026
Single title
smarterpix / AndreyPopov

Delivering Results: What Makes Governing Effective – and What Doesn’t

Impact over input – delivery units as key to better government outcomes

Governments must deliver – but passing laws and approving budgets aren’t enough. In Germany’s federal system, fragmented responsibilities and complex coordination often slow implementation. This Monitor calls for impact-driven governance: clear goals, indicators, and agile delivery units embedded in the Chancellery and State or Senate Chancelleries. These teams track priorities, remove obstacles, and ensure transparency across ministries – turning promises into measurable results.

Marcel Schepp, Felipe Hinrichsen
January 8, 2026
Monitor
KI-generiert mit ChatGPT, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e. V.

Breaking Free from the Polarization Trap!

Clear on substance, fair in tone: Campaign strategies between democratic polarization and populist temptations

The author analyses the growing fragmentation and polarization in Germany’s party system and outlines ways for parties to build a strong profile without undermining the democratic consensus. He distinguishes between productive democratic polarization and destructive affective polarization. Recommended campaign strategies include clear core messages, a respectful engagement with competitors, distancing from extremist parties, and positive, authentic candidate profiling.

Dr. L. Constantin Wurthmann
January 8, 2026
Monitor
IMAGO / Peter Homann

Youth protests against military service

Use school strikes against compulsory military service as a starting point for dialogue

After schoolchildren across Germany took to the streets in early December 2025 to protest against compulsory military service, politicians must not respond with rejection. They must openly address the concerns and needs of the younger generation. Only if young people are involved will measures such as the Military Service Modernisation Act or a potential community service find acceptance.

Martin Bieber
December 18, 2025
kurzum
smarterpix / Curioso_Travel_Photography

COP30: Alliances, new climate finance and Brazil's balancing act in the fossil phase-out

First climate conference in the Amazon between new beginnings and disillusionment

COP30 brought progress on climate finance, adaptation and gender policy – but failed with regard to a clear phase-out of fossil fuels. Brazil acted as a bridge-builder, not only through the strong participation of indigenous communities, social movements and young actors, but also lost credibility through its own fossil fuel plans. The EU must stabilise its internal climate target architecture and strengthen credible international partnerships even without US support. Although multilateralism remains capable of acting, it does not reach the pace demanded by science.

Maximilian Hedrich, Anuska Soares, Nicole Linsenbold
December 18, 2025
Sustainability Monitor
Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e. V.

From research to business: Innovation transfer in Germany

Status, international best practices and perspectives

Economic innovation processes are based on the constant exchange of new knowledge, ideas, technical and organisational expertise that is suitable for commercial exploitation. Both the emergence and diffusion of innovations require extensive networks of different actors – companies, universities, research institutions – who are involved in generating knowledge for innovations, translating this knowledge into marketable innovations, further developing their products and disseminating them as part of their economic activities.

Dr. Michael Rothgang, Dr. Bernhard Lageman
December 17, 2025
Single title
smarterpix / artofphoto

What are the issues affecting young people in Germany?

High expectations often clash with a disappointing reality – Life aspirations and dreams are overshadowed by crises and concerns about the future

The living conditions of young people are discussed on the basis of official statistics and surveys: in contrast to the baby boomer generation, young people today are confronted with a host of existential uncertainties. These range from the fragility of social advancement through education to rising youth delinquency, the victims of which are usually also young people.

Elisabeth Hoffmann
December 16, 2025
Single title
SmarterPix / alphaspirit

Integration and participation through quotas?

Legal challenges in addressing group identities within migration societies

Quota regulations intended to increase the representation of individuals with a migration background in public institutions are legally problematic. The German Basic Law prohibits distinctions based on origin, and there is no constitutional framework for implementing quotas in favour of individuals with a migration background. This paper argues that special provisions for newly arrived migrants are only justifiable during the initial phase of integration. Over time, the more complex challenge lies in delineating the boundaries of the group.

Prof. Dr. Judith Froese
December 12, 2025
Facts and Findings
smarterpix / serezniy

Immigration society over time

Attitudes of Germans with and without a migrant background and foreigners living in Germany between 2015 and 2025

The study compares attitudes towards religion and religiosity, life in Germany and various political attitudes over time. Among other things, it examines satisfaction with democracy and the political system, populist attitudes, authoritarianism, anti-Semitism and the legitimisation of violence. These attitudes are analysed separately for people of Turkish, Polish and Russian origin, as well as for ethnic German repatriates.

Dr. Sabine Pokorny
December 6, 2025
Single title
alphaspirit / smarterpix

Voting motives in the 2025 federal election

Results from representative surveys on reasons for voting and important influencing factors among voters

The results of the federal election merely reflect the actual voting decisions. What remains invisible, however, is the motivation behind voters' decisions to support certain parties. What were the decisive factors?  Was it an easy decision for voters, or were there alternative parties? In which political camps did voters switch allegiances, and what factors played a decisive role in the election campaign? The answers are provided by the evaluation of representative data collected before the federal election campaign and after the federal election.

Dominik Hirndorf
December 4, 2025
Monitor

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Facts and Findings

Selected contributions to the series with international relevance

The series informs in a concentrated form about important positions of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung on current topics. The individual issues present key findings and recommendations, offer brief analyses, explain the Foundation's further plans and name KAS contact persons.  

EPP Party Barometer

The Situation of the European People's Party in the EU

The EPP Party Barometer illustrates the current situation of the EPP party family in the EU. On a non-regular basis, it provides a concise overview of current election results, polls from the member states and the composition of the party family.

Handouts for Political Education

Grundlageninformationen zur Beteiligung
an aktuellen politischen Diskussionen

Mit der Reihe „Handreichungen zur Politischen Bildung“ möchte die Politische Bildung der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung interessierte Bürgerinnen und Bürger über politische Entwicklungen informieren, Orientierungen in Sachfragen geben und das Interesse an politischer Mitwirkung stärken. Die Handreichungen verstehen sich als Grundlageninformationen zur Beteiligung an aktuellen politischen Diskussionen.

Historical-Political Communications

Archive for Christian democratic politics

The "Historisch-Politische Mitteilungen" are available in bookshops. They appear once a year with a volume of approx. 260 pages. The retail price is 19,50 EUR.

Interviews

In our series "Interviews", talks and discussions are held with experts from the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. on various topics.

Country Reports

Short political reports of the KAS offices abroad

The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung is a political foundation. Our offices abroad are in charge of over 200 projects in more than 120 countries. The country reports offer current analyses, exclusive evaluations, background information and forecasts - provided by our international staff.

Monitor

The Monitor series deals with one main topic at a time from the perspective of KAS experts and places it in the political and social context on the basis of a few key points.

Materials for the Work on Site

Kleine Schriftenreihe zu aktuellen Themen der Kommunalpolitik

Mit der eigenen Reihe "Materialien für die Arbeit vor Ort" bereitet die Stiftung zu aktuellen Themen wichtige Informationen in handhabbarer Form auf, so dass sie in der kommunalpolitischen Praxis nutzbar sind. Eine weitere Serie unter dem Titel "Diskurs kommunal" befasst sich mit besonderen Aspekten der Kommunalpolitik.

Commercial Publications

Zu aktuellen und zeitgeschichtlichen politischen Themen veröffentlicht die Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. Publikationen in renommierten Verlagen. Ein besonderer Stellenwert kommt hierbei der seit dem Jahr 2000 erscheinenden Taschenbuchreihe der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung im Herder Verlag zu.

in short

Concise, reduced to the essentials, but always highly topical. In our series “in short”, our experts summarise an issue or problem on a maximum of two pages.

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Completed publication series

Working Paper

Broschürenreihe mit Darstellungen und Positionen, die kurzfristig auf aktuelle politische Fragen reagieren

Insights

Berichte aus der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung

Die Herausgabe der "Einblicke" ist ausgesetzt. "Einblicke" hat alle drei Monate über die Arbeit der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung berichtet.

Research and Sources on Contemporary History

In der Reihe „Forschungen und Quellen zur Zeitgeschichte“ veröffentlicht das Archiv für Christlich-Demokratische Politik seit 1980 wissenschaftliche Studien zur Christlichen Demokratie, Darstellungen zur Geschichte der Bundesrepublik und der CDU sowie Biographien wichtiger Repräsentanten. Zu den 50 bisher erschienen Büchern zählen auch Quelleneditionen, wie Protokolle von Parteigremien oder Tagebücher von einflussreichen Politikern. Die Publikationen sind im Buchhandel erhältlich.

Sociopolitical Series

Veröffentlicht wurden herausragende Dissertationsschriften mit gesellschaftspolitisch relevanten Themen von Stipendiatinnen und Stipendiaten der Begabtenförderung und Personen, die ihrem Promotionskolleg „Soziale Marktwirtschaft“ kooptiert sind. Die Reihe gab den Autorinnen und Autoren ein wissenschaftliches und publizistisches Forum und brachte aktuelle Themen in die öffentliche Diskussion ein.

Basic Questions of Christian Democracy

In dieser Reihe erschienen im Jahr 2006 Texte namenhafter Autoren zu Grundfragen der christlichen Demokratie.

In Conversation

Kulturpolitische Umschau

Zeitschrift mit Berichten aus Bundestag und Bundesländern, Gastbeiträgen, Rezensionen und Presseauswertungen zur aktuellen Kulturpolitik.

In Plenary

Broschürenreihe der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung mit den Beiträgen von Konferenzen, Fachtagungen und Kongressen, die von längerfristigem Interesse sind.

In Plenary Compact

Die Broschüren im DIN-A-4-Format fassen kurz und knapp die Ergebnisse von Konferenzen, Fachtagungen und Kongressen zusammen, die von längerfristigem Interesse sind.

Positions

Reden, Essays und Grundsatzpapiere zu drängenden Zeitfragen

In dieser Broschürenreihe veröffentlicht die Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung grundlegende Positionen zu wichtigen Themen der Zeit.

Future Forum Politics

Broschürenreihe zu aktuellen politischen Themen, welche über die Tagespolitik hinaus reichen

Zukunftsforum Politik