Under the Patronage of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a new initiative for an effective state is being launched today. The project was launched by Julia Jäkel, Peer Steinbrück, Thomas de Maizière and Andreas Voßkuhle. Together with over 50 experts, they will develop concrete ideas within a year to create actionable reform plans – supported and financed by four major German foundations. The office coordinating the work will be based at the Hertie School in Berlin.
Initiative for an effective state: This is the title of the cross-party reform initiative founded by media manager and supervisory board member Julia Jäkel, former federal ministers Peer Steinbrück and Thomas de Maizière and constitutional law expert and long-standing President of the Federal Constitutional Court Andreas Voßkuhle, which President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is presenting today at Bellevue Palace. The final report and recommendations will be presented in October 2025, with an initial progress report expected after the next federal election.
The initiative is supported and financed by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation, the Gemeinnützige Hertie-Stiftung, Stiftung Mercator and the ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS. All four foundations are committed to strengthening democracy and its institutions. With their support, they want to draw attention to the urgent need for action and, through transparent problem analyses and concrete proposals for solutions, help to ensure that the issue is tackled decisively and that our state – regardless of government constellations – becomes more capable of acting again. Further information about the initiative, the founders and the experts involved can be found at: www.handlungsfaehiger-Staat.de
Experts will develop concrete reform proposals
Around 50 experts from politics, business, civil society, and academia have been invited to develop reform ideas for the initiative. In seven working groups, they will develop concrete proposals for effective government action. The individual topics are: Digitalization, education, security, administration and federalism, the competitiveness of Germany as a business location, climate issues and social transformation.
The final report and its recommendations will also consider the perspectives of diverse social groups, researchers and students at the Hertie School and Bucerius Law School, as well as leaders and employees of the public administration. Alumni of Bucerius Law School, the Hertie School, and the Mercator Fellowship on International Affairs will be involved in developing the reform proposals as representatives of younger generations as well.
Head Office to steer the initiative’s work
The Head Office at the Hertie School will be led by two experts: Martin Klingst, a lawyer and journalist, will serve as the initiative’s Managing Director, and Gerhard Hammerschmid, Professor of Public and Financial Management at the Hertie School, will serve as Academic Director. With the support of a team of staff, Klingst and Hammerschmid will coordinate the initiative’s working groups and prepare the final report.
Quotes from the office and foundations:
“This initiative builds on our longstanding work at the Hertie School to drive the modernisation of politics and administration. We are pleased to contribute our expertise in administrative research and teaching, as well as our experience from numerous projects in administrative practice,” said Academic Director and Hertie School Professor Gerhard Hammerschmid.
“We welcome this initiative to improve the state’s effectiveness, as it’s crucial for tackling our most urgent societal challenges. In this way, we are also strengthening democracy”, explains Dr. Wolfgang Rohe, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Essen-based Stiftung Mercator.
“Driving debate and fostering change are integral to the mission of the ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS. A more effective state also builds public trust in democracy. We are particularly pleased that we can also support the initiative with our legal expertise at Bucerius Law School.” Prof. Manuel J. Hartung, Chairman of the Executive Board of ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS.
“The acceptance of democracy depends largely on how citizens experience their state and its representatives—in public services, schools, law enforcement, and beyond. This is why ‘Good Governance’ has long been a central focus of our work on democracy,” says Elisabeth Niejahr, Managing Director of the “Strengthening Democracy” division of the Gemeinnützige Hertie-Stiftung.
“We are pleased to contribute to this initiative by identifying success factors for a functioning state from an academic perspective”, explains Dr. Frank Suder, Chairman of the Fritz Thyssen Stiftung.
PRESS CONTACT
Stiftung Mercator
Lothar Kuhn | Director Communications
T +49 201 245 22 36 | lothar.kuhn@stiftung-mercator.de
Hertie School
Benjamin Stappenbeck | Director Communications
T +49 30 259 219 113 | stappenbeck.@hertie-school.org
ABOUT STIFTUNG MERCATOR
Stiftung Mercator is a private, independent, and non-profit foundation that acts on the basis of scientific expertise and practical project experience. Since 1996, it has been advocating for a society based on solidarity and participation. To this end, it supports and develops projects that improve participation and cohesion in an increasingly diverse community. Stiftung Mercator stands up for a cosmopolitan, democratic Europe, a digital transformation of state and society based on fundamental rights, and socially just climate change mitigation. Stiftung Mercator pursues activities in Germany, Europe, and worldwide. It feels particularly connected to the Ruhr area, home of its founder’s family and the foundation’s headquarters.
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