Society & Politics: Should Disorder Be the New Normal? - N100 2024 Berlin
Is it possible to augment stability and safeguard freedom in liberal democracies, amid rapid socio-political changes and growing extremization at all ends of the ideological and social spectrum?
This panel assesses the shifting dynamics within developed democracies of the Euro-Atlantic space, where both ends of the political spectrum display increasing activism, complicating the search for a moderate political middle. The session will delve into the complexities and unprecedented pace of social and political changes, discussing their implications for governance amidst significant policy challenges—from digital and environmental transformations to cultural debates and migration issues. Additionally, the panel will consider the effects of polarization, opportunism, and populism on effective governance, exploring whether this seeming disorder can be managed or even reversed, and what strategies might be employed to stabilize these trends in the short and long term.
Speakers
Hans Pung, President of RAND Europe
Elizabeth Nelson, Co-Founder, Head of Innovation & Content Smart Building Collective
Nestor Maslej, AI Index Research Manager, Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI
Next 100 Symposium
The Next 100 Symposium, a conference by the Global Arena Research Institute, bringing together leaders and experts across various disciplines, has served as a platform for fostering open discussion on global challenges since its inception. The inaugural Next 100 Symposium in the fall of 2018 commemorated the centenary of the First World War's end. Inspired by a spirit of rebuilding trust and stability from the ruins of post-war Europe, we sought to shift from crisis-driven language, exploring how science, technology, and open, cross-disciplinary dialogue could transcend the darkening global horizons. The past six years did not offer much optimism in this regard. The COVID-19 pandemic acted as a global accelerator, exacerbating underlying social, economic, and political issues, while also introducing many new ones. True to the original ethos of the Next 100, we reject the notion of deepening disorder, mistrust, and polarization as the "new normal." The 2024 Berlin edition aims to identify realistic, actionable paths forward, particularly in the context of the upcoming European parliamentary elections and the upcoming European Commission.
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