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Better Politics Foundation

As the world’s leading convener of political leadership entrepreneurs and innovators, we're here to accelerate a bold reset: We find what works. We test ideas.

We scale innovations.

20/08/2026

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘀 𝗔𝗜 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆?

In the latest episode of the 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁, Lisa Witter unpacks this question with Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders, authors of 𝘙𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘺: 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘈𝘐 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴, 𝘎𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱.

Their conversation moves from individual use cases, including the first AI-written law passed in Brazil and a political party in Japan built around an AI avatar, to the larger structural questions: how to avoid an AI-driven concentration of power, why familiarity shapes who adopts these tools and who resists them, and what governments can do differently this time compared to how they handled other transformative technologies like social media.

Tune in to hear what it will take to steer AI toward strengthening democracy. Listen to the Better Politics Podcast on your favorite platform:

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3T16fCncEK6wDZUhHLG9v7?si=lc4bk58UQnSiihdIicEVrw&nd=1&dlsi=d31313dc3b144b90
🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-ai-is-reshaping-democracy-insights-from-bruce-schneier/id1652159219?i=1000784590054
🎧 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anM5xO-fG0w&list=PLOEQ5FzGPeEL6bKEdDkoGGbZnodhxVNNo&index=4

05/08/2026

Earlier this year, Germany ranked #𝟭 in the first edition of the 𝘉𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘹, which measured the support political leaders receive across 10 countries. Undoubtedly a very positive result, but rankings can only tell part of the story.

Our new report 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱. 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁? takes a closer look at the nuances beyond that result. Based on 50 in-depth interviews with Members of the Bundestag and parliamentary staff across parties, it examines what newly elected MPs 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 experience in their first year in office.

Two key findings stand out:

1️⃣ we are not investing enough in our political leaders.

2️⃣ the support infrastructure is failing to keep up as the demands of the job grow more and more complex.

Scroll through the carousel to read our top 10 insights.

This report is a call to action to all institutions and actors working around politics to come together and build better support infrastructures for the people we elect. It was produced with the support of the Robert Bosch Stiftung alongside organizations already doing important work in this space, like Brand New Bundestag and JoinPolitics.

🔗 The full report in German and English Executive Summary are available through the link in bio.

25/06/2026

📚 : Deutschland investiert jährlich 𝘮𝘦𝘩𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘴 3 𝘔𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘌𝘜𝘙 in die Führungskräfteentwicklung für Wirtschaftsmanager, Leistungssportlerinnen und -sportler. Für Abgeordnete, also die Menschen, die Entscheidungen treffen, die das Leben von Millionen Menschen prägen? Fast nichts.

Heute stellen wir offiziell unsere Studie „𝗚𝗲𝘄𝗮̈𝗵𝗹𝘁. 𝗨𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗲𝘁𝘇𝘁? 𝗗𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗝𝗮𝗵𝗿 𝗶𝗺 𝗕𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴 𝘇𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗨̈𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗴" vor, das Ergebnis eines Jahres Forschung und 50 leitfadengestützter Interviews mit Abgeordneten und parlamentarischen Mitarbeitenden aus verschiedenen Parteien, mit dem Ziel, konkrete Ansatzpunkte zu identifizieren, um den Übergang in das Mandat strukturell zu verbessern und Political Leadership langfristig zu stärken.

Neu gewählte Mitglieder des Bundestages stehen vor einem außerordentlich anspruchsvollen Übergang: Büroaufbau, Personaleinstellung, das Erlernen komplexer parlamentarischer Abläufe und gleichzeitige öffentliche Präsenz, alles auf einmal, alles von Tag eins an.

Was wir von den Menschen gehört haben, mit denen wir gesprochen haben, war eindeutig: Die Anforderungen sind real, die Unterstützung ist unzureichend, und die Konsequenzen gehen weit über einzelne Politikerinnen und Politiker hinaus bis hin zur Funktionsfähigkeit demokratischer Institutionen insgesamt.

Diese Studie, erstellt mit der Förderung von der 𝗥𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗕𝗼𝘀𝗰𝗵 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗴, ist unser Beitrag zur Veränderung. Die offizielle Vorstellung findet heute im Deutschen Bundestag statt, mit einer Präsentation der zentralen Ergebnisse und einer parteiübergreifenden Podiumsdiskussion mit aktuellen Abgeordneten.

🔗 Die Studie ist hier abrufbar: https://www.betterpolitics.foundation/political-preparedness-in-germany

24/06/2026

The 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 (𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗡) keeps growing 🎉

The global network convened by the Better Politics Foundation just welcomed 23 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 and 3 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, bringing the total to 𝟭𝟳𝟴 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 in 𝟲𝟬 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀!

The PLEN is a practical, supportive space where people working on political leadership development can connect, exchange, and grow together. Members work across different political contexts and thematic areas, but share a common commitment: building, testing, and strengthening innovative approaches to political leadership for both emerging and current leaders.

The PLEN has members in every region of the world:

🌍 Africa: 31
🌎 Americas: 63
🌏 Asia: 15
🌍 Europe: 59
🌏 Oceania: 9

Meet our newest members 👇

19/06/2026

➡️ The demands of political office have evolved beyond recognition. How we prepare people for it hasn't kept up.

In this week's 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 (𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡) 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸, Lisa Witter () reflects on the key findings of our latest study 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱. 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁? 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 (𝘎𝘦𝘸𝘢̈𝘩𝘭𝘵. 𝘜𝘯𝘥 𝘫𝘦𝘵𝘻𝘵? 𝘋𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘑𝘢𝘩𝘳 𝘪𝘮 𝘉𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨 𝘻𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘜̈𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘨).

Supported by the Robert Bosch Stiftung, the study draws on 50 interviews with newly elected MPs across political parties through their first year in office. Among the key findings:

✅ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝘂𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲.
✅ 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝘆, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴.
✅ 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁.
✅ 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗼𝗻𝗲.

If you're in Berlin, join us for the study launch on 𝟮𝟱 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲, 17:00–18:30, at the German Bundestag. We'll discuss some of the reports main insights, followed by a cross-party panel with sitting MPs from the SPD, CDU, Die Grünen, and Die Linke. Fill out the expression of interest form, link in bio.

🔗 Read the full Substack and subscribe
⏱️ ~7 minute read

11/06/2026

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤 ➡️ We usually assume 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘶𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 have hidden flaws that finally surface once they have access to power. Sometimes that's true. But the neuroscience points to something else.

It's often not about character at all. It's what high status does to a working brain.

In this week's 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 (𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡) 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸, Lisa Witter takes the film 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘢𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 to illustrate how power structurally corrupts well-intentioned people, by rewiring the brains of those who wield it.

It doesn’t happen instantly. It’s a slow drift, one rationalization at a time. Good political design can’t only contain bad actors; it must restrain the drift of good ones too.

🔗 Read the full piece & subscribe, link in bio.
⏱️ ~ 6 minute read

28/05/2026

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤 ⪼ 𝘈 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘛𝘌𝘋 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴. 🐭

This week's 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 (𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡) 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸 draws on the children's book 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘰 to explore what political leadership actually requires in a moment where the terrain keeps shifting and the old playbook is no longer fit for purpose.

The main character in the story, a mouse trying to escape being eaten by stronger predators, doesn't wait for better conditions or a bigger ally. He has a strategy. And when his strategy stops working, he doesn't cling to it. He drops it and finds a new one.

𝘚𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 on, 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘴 tuned, strategy recalibrated, and the nerve to execute it.

📚 What's your favorite children's book, and what leadership lessons did it teach you that you still carry?

🔗 Read the full piece & subscribe, link in bio
⏱️ ~5 minute read

22/05/2026

📚 → Your 𝘤𝘺𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘮 about politicians might be the single most effective way to 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴.

In the latest 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 (𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡) 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸, Lisa Witter () argues that the story we tell about politics determines who enters it. And right now, the story we are telling is keeping the right people from stepping forward.

A randomized controlled trial in shows that, when communities are encouraged to frame political office as service-oriented rather than status-oriented, different people ran, they won, and they governed differently, closing the gap between what citizens wanted and what their councils actually did.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻: 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘶𝘱. 𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵.

🔗 Read the full piece & subscribe, link in bio
⏱️ ~8 minute read

20/05/2026

🔜 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘥.

The Better Politics Foundation has spent the last year researching this gap, speaking with Members of the German Bundestag to understand what they actually need and what's missing.

What we found is both sobering and critical. Entering the Bundestag means taking on multiple roles at once:

⪼ Policy expert
⪼ Team lead & manager
⪼ Public figure
⪼ Negotiator
⪼ Party member
⪼ Constituency representative

All from day one. Under constant public scrutiny. With little room for reflection.

Findings from our 2023 report 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘴 (link in comments) shows that the mental wellbeing of politicians falls below that of emergency responders. The demands are real, but the support structures haven't kept pace.

We believe it's time to change that.

A new Better Politics Foundation report led by Cäcilia Riederer and Corina Scholz with support of the Robert Bosch Stiftung, will present key findings and recommendations based on 50 interviews with German MPs and parliamentary staff across political parties.

The report will launch in late June at an event in the German Bundestag, where some of the MPs who contributed to the research will take part in a panel discussion.

More details will come soon. Stay tuned!

18/05/2026

📽️ 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝗱𝗼 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀?

That's the question Lisa Witter posed to close last year's 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀' 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗲 award ceremony during the Athens Democracy Forum.

She was joined by awardees Paul Magnette, Eva Abdulla, and Ruth Forrest, recognized for their contributions to democratic excellence. You can watch their responses in the video below.

Do you know a politician whose answer belongs in that room?

Nominate them for the 2026 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘴' 𝘏𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘦: 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦. We're looking for current or former 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘴 who have:

▸ Demonstrated a strong commitment to democratic values in action
▸ Strengthened participation, accountability, transparency, or inclusion
▸ Set new standards for leadership within their context
▸ Delivered tangible impact in the 21st century

🔗 Submit your nomination here: https://forms.gle/CBsuqsoRmx6kxtji9
⏳ Deadline: 𝟯𝟭 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲

Let's make sure the leaders raising the bar for democracy get the recognition they deserve!

Adresse

Berlin

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https://www.betterpolitics.foundation/

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