A summary by: Raja Albers, Kirsten Hartmann, Tobias Lentzler and Alisa Rieth
The Helmut Schmidt Lecture 2023 and the third issue of our BKHS Magazine called for globalisation to be reshaped ("Remaking Globalisation!"). New ideas are needed to master this task. For the first time, we invited the guests of the Helmut Schmidt Lecture 2023 to discuss and vote on policy recommendations with us at our "Meeting Points". In this article, our employees Raja Albers, Kirsten Hartmann, Tobias Lentzler and Alisa Rieth report on the interesting exchange with the guests of the Helmut Schmidt Lecture 2023.
What does it take to make globalisation fairer and more sustainable? Where are changes needed and which actors need to take action? These and other questions were the focus of our Helmut Schmidt Lecture 2023. Under the call "Remaking Globalisation!", not only our speaker Professor Dr Moritz Schularick and the other experts on stage, but also our approximately 200 international guests discussed these issues.
The aim of the Helmut Schmidt Lecture and the BKHS Magazine, which is published every year to coincide with the Lecture, is to facilitate a broad debate that is led by different voices and includes a variety of perspectives. In BKHS Magazine#3, a wide variety of people from the worlds of science, politics and the arts address the question of how globalisation can be made fairer and more sustainable. We understand globalisation not only to mean international trade, but much more comprehensively the increasing economic, political, social and cultural networks. The result of the BKHS Magazine is a multitude of cross-thematic policy recommendations - from economic policy, research and teaching of global structures to development and security policy.
On the evening of the lecture, we wanted to discuss these issues with our guests. To this end, we invited them to discuss policy recommendations with us and with each other. At "meeting points", we presented quotes from the BKHS Magazine for discussion and invited the audience to vote on possible options and priorities for action. The selection of quotes illustrated the range of topics in the BKHS Magazine and represented the variety of voices and perspectives. On the one hand, the quotes were dedicated to the question of the relevant actors for a reshaping of globalisation, on the other hand, they dealt with several current topics such as the climate crisis or the future of economic cooperation.
Reflection on the discussions at the "Meeting Points"
We are not interested in a representative picture of opinion or the one "right" solution. Rather, we want to capture the mood of the evening, whose call for "Remaking Globalisation!" was followed by so many.
1. To tackle climate change, what approach is most effective?
It seems clear that far-reaching transformations are needed in the face of climate change. But it quickly becomes complicated when you ask more precisely "how?", want to identify the specific structures that need to change or name the key players who need to provide important impetus for transformation.
Do we need more bans and prohibitions to prevent environmentally harmful practices or do positive incentives - used correctly and in a targeted manner - have a more sustainable effect? What can individual changes in behaviour, such as giving up meat or air travel, achieve if there are no structural changes in politics and the economy? These and other questions were the subject of lively discussion at the meeting points. The participants agreed on one point: more education and information never hurts, of course, but we don't actually have a knowledge problem, but an implementation problem. This is where the state is called upon - on the one hand to impose stronger sanctions on climate-damaging corporate actions and on the other to provide more effective incentives for individual changes in behaviour.
2. What is the most pressing task for the EU to make globalisation more just and inclusive?
What role can the European Union (EU) play in making globalisation more just and inclusive? The range of possible fields of action is broad and extends from investments in renewable energies, patent rights for vaccines and debt relief for third countries to migration policy issues. We therefore wanted to know from our guests which task they consider to be the most urgent for the EU.
However, the audience found it difficult to clearly prioritise the areas of policy and action with regard to the EU - not only because the respective areas are often closely interlinked, but also because the EU's power to act was certainly questioned critically. Together, we discussed in which areas the EU can best utilise its strengths as a "regulatory power", i.e. as a standard-setting and rule-making authority. It was difficult to find a clear answer, but the area of debt cancellation for third countries and the issue of facilitating regular migration came up again and again. There was also a sceptical discussion about the extent to which the EU can hold its own against other powerful players such as the USA or China, not only economically but also (geo-)politically.
3. What is most important for a globally just energy transition?
The discussions at the World Climate Conference in December 2023 showed that a phase-out of fossil fuels is unavoidable in the short or medium term in order to counteract the climate crisis. Change is needed in the energy sector. But how can this change be organised in a sustainable and globally fair way? How can we prevent countries in the Global South from suffering disproportionately from the costs of this change? This is exactly what we asked the participants of the lecture.
The provision of financial resources for the expansion of renewable energies in the Global South seemed to many to be a good option. A majority were also in favour of pricing environmental costs into energy consumption. Overall, however, the discussions revealed that our guests primarily see a problem in the lack of the necessary sense of responsibility and urge to act in industrialised countries. While financing the expansion of renewable energies in the Global South was welcomed by many at the lecture evening, everyone agreed: ultimately, we need a global expansion of more energy-efficient technologies and a fair reduction in consumption.
4. Which economic model benefits societies and people the most?
More than 15 years ago, economist Dani Rodrik warned that globalisation should not be left to its "cheerleaders" alone. The strongest economic growth cannot necessarily be achieved in countries with the most liberal economic policies. Rule-based and well-functioning institutions are also crucial for this. The discussions at the lecture evening showed that the debate has been expanded by another facet in recent years. The advocacy of rules-based global trade - similar to the call for increasing regionalisation, including the establishment of trade unions - did not initially meet with broad approval. Most guests considered the introduction of circular economies at regional, national and global level to be more promising.
It can therefore be concluded from the discussions with our guests that economic issues can hardly be separated from climate protection issues today. This is also confirmed by the many additions made by the participants, who, for example, called for "thinking about climate in economic issues". While some of our dialogue partners had not yet given up hope that global markets could be restructured or reorganised, others were clearly resigned to the global political situation and its influence on global trade. On the other hand, there was a general consensus in the discussions that global trade should no longer be solely about maximising profits.
5. What should Germany prioritise to strengthen international cooperation?
Increased international cooperation is an important part of dealing with and resolving current and future crises and conflicts. So far, so good. But deciding what Germany should prioritise here was not so easy for our lecture audience. While some emphasised the continued funding of intercultural exchange, others argued that Germany should first push for the countries of the Global South to be represented in decision-making bodies. Only an equal inclusion of all could ultimately be the basis for cooperation to prove successful for all in the long term. Others referred to the necessary pragmatism mentioned by Moritz Schularick and spoke in favour of permanent forms of cooperation on administrative issues that are independent of political shocks.
Many of our interviewees did not want to prioritise between areas, but emphasised the importance of all the fields of action mentioned. The majority of our guests emphasised as a central aspect of strengthening international cooperation that Germany must form coalitions to overcome the structural and historical inequalities and colonial continuities in the global financial system.
Multiple crises require multidimensional and interdisciplinary solutions
As thematically diverse as the discussions at the meeting points were, we observed two points that were repeatedly emphasised across all topics. Firstly, the participants tended to call for politically anchored incentives or binding laws. For many, such government measures seemed more promising than attempts to disseminate knowledge and clarify values. Secondly, the lecture guests at all meeting points emphasised the need for greater interdisciplinary and cross-thematic cooperation in order to overcome current crises and conflicts. A central demand was an interdisciplinary interlinking of areas that are still too often thought of as separate, such as economic, climate and foreign policy.
Our BKHS Magazine was organised in line with this idea. The diversity of approaches and disciplines of the authors in the BKHS Magazine already clearly shows how beneficial it can be. It was also clear to the majority of guests on the evening of the Helmut Schmidt Lecture 2023 that multidimensional approaches are essential in order to master current challenges, explore starting points for change and contribute to making globalisation fairer and more sustainable.