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Titelbild mit der KI Adobe Firefly generiert, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e. V.

What Canada and Singapore teach us about promoting basic skills at an early age

High-quality early childhood education for equal opportunities and educational success

Early childhood education strengthens foundational competencies, promotes social participation and educational success, and generates high social returns. Canada and Singapore demonstrate how successful systems can emerge through mandatory educational plans, high quality standards, public funding, and targeted support for disadvantaged children. Germany should strategically expand early childhood education, introduce mandatory curricula, and strengthen quality development as well as evidence-based governance.

Prof. Anne Sliwka
May 7, 2025
Facts and Findings
IMAGO / NurPhoto

Canada has voted

A new course is being set

In the midst of a serious crisis with the USA, Canada is once again governed by a Liberal minority government following early elections. Despite good results, the Conservatives miss out on what they thought was a certain election victory. Canada appears to be on the way to a two-party system.

Dr. Bernd Althusmann
May 6, 2025
Country reports
IMAGO / ABACAPRESS

Waiting for the White Smoke

Conclave in Rome

From Wednesday, the international media will be focused on what is probably the most famous chimney in the world. Who will step onto the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica after the “Habemus Papam” and give the first “Urbi et Orbi” blessing? The vast media hype in the Eternal City shows that the Catholic Church and the Papacy have still universal relevance. For the cardinal electors, however, the aim is to bring together the program and the person. But a lot of things run differently at the conclave than an outsider might imagine. This analysis sets out the key themes of the future pontificate and considers which personalities could represent them.

Michael Feth, Dr. Nino Galetti
May 5, 2025
Country reports
IMAGO / AAP

A Historic Election for Australia

Labor’s landslide victory and Conservatives in disarray

In the same week that Canada swung left, Australia followed with a similar but even more decisive result. Just two hours after polls closed—at 8:25 p.m. on May 3—ABC News officially declared the Australian Labor Party (ALP)'s election victory and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's second term. A red wave swept across the country, delivering the Conservatives their worst defeat in recent memory. The loss was significant in scale, and symbolic: Opposition Leader Peter Dutton even lost his own seat in Parliament, a seat he had held for 24 years.

Chhayheng Soth
May 5, 2025
Country reports
KI-generiert mit Adobe Firefly, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e. V.

CO₂ limits in the construction sector – an intervention justified by regulatory policy

A CO₂ cap in construction as a supplement to CO₂ pricing: reduce emissions, promote investment and create planning security

The construction sector is responsible for a significant portion of CO₂ emissions, making it crucial to achieving climate goals. A building-specific CO₂ cap, similar to those in France and Denmark, could provide clarity, encourage investments, and foster sustainable construction. This cap, which would be technology-neutral, could complement the emissions trading system and offer regulatory certainty. It would drive innovation and help meet climate targets while maintaining competitiveness in the sector.

Dr. Jan Cernicky, Jonathan Hild
April 29, 2025
Facts and Findings
IMAGO/AAP

Australia is heading to the polls

Between everyday worries and global pressure, Australia is facing important decisions

On March 28, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that the federal election would be held on May 3rd, after three years under the government led by the Australian Labor Party (ALP). The Prime Minister is being challenged by Peter Dutton, leader of the Liberal-National Coalition, who is currently polling behind in several opinion polls. As of April 23, the ALP held a 55.5 percent to 44.5 percent lead over the Coalition in the two-party preferred polls, favored to again lead the next government. 1

Chhayheng Soth
April 25, 2025
Country reports
IMAGO/ITAR-TASS

Assessing Myanmar’s Earthquake Response

Mechanisms for current and future humanitarian missions

The 2025 earthquake has reflected not only the fragility of Myanmar’s infrastructure but the deep fractures of its political and humanitarian landscape. In a nation where aid is weaponized, civil war fragments the state, and conscription pushes the flight of an entire generation, traditional humanitarian responses fall short. As the military junta continues to manipulate disaster for its own survival, international actors must rethink their approach. While it is an almost impossible task to bypass the military leaders entirely, especially for international agencies like the UN, relying on information from the Myanmar Diaspora and Civil Society Organisations helps: with who to engage on the ground, which funds and networks to support financially (even from abroad) and opening up the possibility of land border for aid delivery, point to alternative means of humanitarian assistance for current and future missions.

Moritz Fink, Dana Lee
April 25, 2025
Country reports
IMAGO / robertharding

The Pope who shook the world awake

On the death of Pope Francis

The radical, the unyielding, the unfinished, the contradictory, the enigmatic – there is certainly no shortage of metaphors in the media for the late Pope Francis and his eventful pontificate. But after these exciting years, in which there was certainly no shortage of conflicts, crises and wars, what is the bottom line? What is the legacy that Francis has left behind politically and diplomatically on the international stage? What can a successor build on, where would a change of course be needed? The cardinals will also have to discuss this. We try to make an initial assessment.

Michael Feth, Dr. Nino Galetti
April 23, 2025
Country reports
Nuclear power plant in VietnamKI-generated with Adobe Firefly, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e. V.

A second chance for nuclear energy in Vietnam

The increasing energy demand in Vietnam is leading to a (re)entry into nuclear energy

Vietnam, one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia, faces the urgent challenge of sustainably and reliably meeting its steadily increasing energy demand. Power shortages and blackouts in recent years have alarmed foreign investors. In light of global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the need to diversify the national energy mix, nuclear energy is increasingly coming into focus.

Isis Helen Urbanczyk, Florian C. Feyerabend
April 22, 2025
Country reports
IMAGO / Agencia Prensa-Independiente

Clear Victory for President Noboa

Ecuador shows the red card to a possible return of Correísmo

Daniel Noboa remains president of Ecuador. With a surprisingly clear result of more than eleven percent ahead, the young head of state was able to win the run-off election for the highest office against his left-wing populist challenger Luisa González. The loser's refusal to acknowledge her defeat once again proves the great polarization in the country. After a peaceful election, this division into two camps, along with the containment of organized crime and the difficult economic situation, are the biggest challenges for the election winner.

Johannes Hügel
April 14, 2025
Country reports

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