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Berggruen Institute

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Berggruen Institute
FounderNicolas Berggruen
Typethink tank
Location
Key people
[1]
WebsiteBerggruen Institute

The Berggruen Institute (formerly Berggruen Institute on Governance) is an independent, non-partisan think tank that develops ideas to shape political and social institutions.

Berggruen Institute projects

The Berggruen Institute initiates and develops projects by engaging authoritative voices to explore the fundamental questions ranging from global governance to what it means to be human in the age of technology. Some of the institute's projects include:

The Council for the Future of Europe

The Council for the Future of Europe is a think tank established by the Berggruen Institute's Governance Center to debate and advocate ways forward for a united Europe. It is chaired by former Prime Minister of Italy Mario Monti. Its members include former heads of state Tony Blair (UK), Gerhard Schröder (Germany), Felipe González (Spain), Romano Prodi (Italy), Matti Vanhanen (Finland), Guy Verhofstadt (Belgium), Franz Vranitzky (Austria), and Marek Belka (Poland); economists Joseph Stiglitz, Michael Spence, Robert Mundell, Jean Pisani-Ferry, Nouriel Roubini, and Otmar Issing; CEOs Mohamed El-Erian and Juan Luis Cebrián; academics Niall Ferguson and Anthony Giddens; former president of the European Commission Jacques Delors; former head of the International Committee of the Red Cross Jakob Kellenberger, Director-General of the World Trade Organization Pascal Lamy; Goldman Sachs chairman and former director of the World Trade Organization Peter Sutherland; former head of the Deutsche Bundesbank Axel Weber; member of the Swiss Federal Council Doris Leuthard; and French businessman Alain Minc.[2] The group advocates greater political integration within Europe, which would take the form of greater fiscal consolidation within Europe, wider powers for the European Central Bank, and the engagement of European citizens.[3][4]

In October 2012 the council sponsored a town hall forum in Berlin entitled "Europe Beyond the Crisis". Its participants included former German chancellors Gerhard Schröder and Helmut Schmidt, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici, European Parliament President Martin Schulz, and Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt.[5] One of the major themes that appeared in the town hall was the call for greater European integration.[6] In a speech to the town hall former Prime Minister Tony Blair declared that "a large measure of political union" within Europe was needed in order to solve the Eurozone crisis, stating that "if eurozone structures end up with a Europe that is fundamentally divided politically as well as economically, rather than a Europe with one political settlement that accommodates different levels of integration within it, the EU as we know it will be on a path to break-up."[7] The town hall also featured a talk from financier George Soros, who discussed how failure to respond to the crisis put Europe at risk of becoming a permanent two-tiered system of creditor and debtor countries.[8] Investor David Bonderman, former Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, former Chair of President Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers Laura Tyson, and Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt also warned that Europe's political uncertainty threatened its economic future.[9] In an address to the town hall, former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder called on Europe to embrace reforms to move beyond the crisis similar to the Agenda 2010 reforms he instituted in Germany.[10]

In May 2013 the council organized another town hall, this time in Paris. The focus of the town hall was to address Europe's high youth unemployment rate.[11] President Francois Hollande of France delivered the opening keynote to the council, calling for urgent action to address the crisis.[12] The centerpiece of the event was the launch of a "Growth Initiative for Europe" that was drafted by the French and German ministries in conjunction with the Berggruen Institute.[13] The initiative featured three main elements, including a "youth guarantee" that would promise a job, apprenticeship, or further education for young people no longer in school or employed; increasing youth's geographic mobility by subsidizing travel to study and learn new skills in other European countries; and expanding credit to small-to-medium-sized companies, which are traditionally more likely to employ young people.[14][15]

Board members

Board members include Shaukat Aziz, Daniel Bell, Nicolas Berggruen, Jared Bluestein, David Bonderman, Juan Luis Cebrián, Ray Chambers, Geoffrey Cowan, Mohamed El-Erian, Nathan Gardels, Amy Gutmann, Arianna Huffington, Mary Klein, Margaret Levi, Dawn Nakagawa, and Ernesto Zedillo.

21st Century Council

The 21st Century Council is a committee organized by the Berggruen Institute's Governance Center devoted to global governance reform.[16] Chaired by former President of Mexico Ernesto Zedillo,[17] it is composed of former heads of state, Nobel laureates, and global entrepreneurs, its current focus is to shadow the G-20 in order to recommend political, economic, and financial market overhauls.[18][19] The committee presented their recommendations to President Sarkozy of France in the Fall of 2011 prior to the G-20 Summit in Cannes, as well as in May 2013 to President Calderón before the G-20 Summit in Mexico.[20]

At the 2012 Mexico meeting the Council addressed the ongoing eurozone crisis. It argued that Europe faces a dilemma: disintegration or moving toward a stronger fiscal and economic union. Felipe González, the former premier of Spain, said that a feeling of pain and frustration prevailed in Europe, and that there needed to be greater balance between austerity requirements and policies that stimulated short-term growth. The Council reported that the inability to coordinate macroeconomic policies for growth and a lack of common strategies threatened a new financial crisis in Europe.[21] The Council also reaffirmed Mexican President Calderón's emphasis on "green growth", noting that the absence of a global framework on climate change and carbon prices inhibited the takeoff of the clean energy economy. The Council proposed that a web of national and subnational networks be used to provide global public goods, such as low-carbon growth to combat climate change. Another idea that was discussed was to link the R20 Regions of Climate Action with the goals of the G-20 on climate change. The hope is that even if effective measures on climate change are stymied at the global or national level, the subnationals can still forge ahead and progress toward this goal from the ground up.[22] Agustín Carstens, Governor of the Bank of Mexico, spoke about redesigning the participation of the votes in the International Monetary Fund and World Bank to reflect the increased importance of emerging markets in global economic output.[23]

At the end of January 2013, when the Council met in Zurich, some of its members expressed frustration with the lack of efficacy they saw characterizing the G-20 process. To address this issue the Council recommended the following changes:

  • A QUALIFIED MAJORITY OR "OPEN ARCHITECTURE" INSTEAD OF CONSENSUS | The G-20 procedure should be to make its decisions on a qualified majority on all issues instead of a consensus. Another alternative would be an “open architecture” on voting that enables the formation of a “coalition of the willing” that varies from policy decision to policy decision.
  • A PERMANENT SECRETARIAT | Since each successive head of the G-20 pursues his or her own agenda, there is little continuity. To avoid this tendency, a permanent secretariat should be established. This secretariat — which would coordinate between previous, present and future G-20 chairs — should be headed by an internationally credible and renowned person.
  • FOCUS AND MINISTERIAL CONFERENCES | Focus is also needed on 1-3 key items at each summit. All else, and preparatory work on the key items, can be done in ministerial G-20 conferences throughout the year. The aim is both to dispense with lesser, yet important and technical issues, while clearing the agenda for the leader’s summit to focus on the hot and critical items.
  • THINK LONG SEMINARS | Each year the G-20 president should organize “think long” seminars about issues not yet on the table but critical to sort out for global governance in the long term. These can include such issues as a new global monetary system, re-measuring the way GDP or trade is calculated, energy and like issues. To enhance the legitimacy of the G-20, non-member states as well as scholars and civil society should be invited to these seminars.[24]

The members of the 21st Century Council, in addition to Berggruen, are:[25]

The Think Long Committee for California

The Think Long Committee for California[27] aims to offer a comprehensive approach for repairing and renovating California's broken system of governance while proposing policies and institutions vital for the state's long-term future.[28] The Think Long Committee for California has involved a politically bi-partisan board from the outset.

The members of the Think Long Committee for California run the ideological gamut. Former Republican Secretaries of State George Schultz and Condoleezza Rice, Democrats Willie Brown and Gray Davis, Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt and Los Angeles philanthropist Eli Broad serve on the committee. Arnold Schwarzenegger, then Governor of California, took part in the first meeting.[29]

In November 2011, the Think Long Committee published a report, A Blueprint to Renew California: Report and Recommendations.[30] The heart of the proposal, according to Berggruen and senior adviser Nathan Gardels, came in three parts:

  1. "Local empowerment: returning decision-making power and resources where appropriate from Sacramento to localities and regions where the real economy functions and government is closer to the people—and thus more responsive, flexible and accountable. By helping to cover the costs of devolving public safety from the state to the counties, our plan will also help reduce the high costs associated with prisons -- on which we absurdly spend more these days than on higher education. The Think Long plan would dedicate new revenues annually to counties for public safety and as block grants to cities for infrastructure and other locally determined uses.
  2. An independent citizens watchdog: creating an independent watchdog for the long-term public interest as a counterbalance to the short-term mentality and special interest political culture that dominates Sacramento. This impartial and non-partisan Citizens Council for Government Accountability, which would be empowered to place initiatives directly on the ballot for public approval, will ensure that the public's priorities -- excellence in education, world-class infrastructure, a sustained quality of life, opportunities for good jobs and the strengthening of a vibrant middle class through boosting the state's competitiveness in today's global economy -- remain at the top of the public policy agenda over the long term. As a non-political quality control body, the Citizens Council will ensure that California taxpayers get their "return on investment."
  3. A modern, broad-based tax system: updating California's tax system to mirror the real composition of our modern service and information economy and provide a stable, broad-based tax system that is sustainable over the long term."[31]

Members of the committee, in addition to Berggruen, include:[32]

Matt Fong, 30th California State Treasurer, was a member until his death in 2011.

Berggruen Philosophy and Culture Center

The Berggruen Philosophy and Culture Center - launched in September 2015 - aims to realize its mission via three core initiatives:[33]

1. A Global Fellowship Program. Understanding different cultures and ways of life depends on extended exposure to other societies. To this end, the Center sponsors a fellowship program that gives thinkers the opportunity to study, work and live at leading universities in China, the United States, and the United Kingdom. These efforts will result in symposia, video and written materials including articles and books.

2. The annual $1 Million Berggruen Philosophy Prize. The prize will reward a living thinker whose ideas have deeply influenced our world. An independent and diverse jury composed of leading thinkers will award the prize. The first prize is expected to be awarded in the fall of 2016.

3. The Aspen - Berggruen Ideas Contest. The Aspen - Berggruen Ideas Competition - co-sponsored by the Aspen Institute - will be organized annually to identify and further research ideas that will meaningfully impact the way we think and live. The first competition is expected to take place in the summer of 2016.

The Center collaborates with several universities and institutions, including Harvard University's School of Divinity, Stanford University's Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS), UCLA, NYU, University of Cambridge, Tsinghua University and Peking University. The Program is also supporting research at the University of Southern California (USC) Brain and Creativity Institute under the guidance of Dr. Antonio Damasio.[34]

Offices

The Berggruen Institute has offices in Los Angeles, New York, Berlin, and Zurich.

References

  1. ^ [1] Berggruen Institute website
  2. ^ [2] Berggruen.org
  3. ^ Billionaire Living Out of Tote Bag Amasses Fortune to Give Away Bloomberg Markets Magazine.
  4. ^ http://blogs.ft.com/brusselsblog/files/2011/09/Future-of-Europe-Statement_Brussels_September-5-2011.pdf
  5. ^ http://www.hertie-school.org/mediaandevents/events/events-pages/30102012-europe-beyond-the-crisis/
  6. ^ Future of Europe debate heats up BBC News.
  7. ^ Blair warns coalition over eurosceptics The Financial Times
  8. ^ George Soros: To survive, Europe must recapture spirit of solidarity Christian Science Monitor.
  9. ^ Billionaire Berggruen's Focus On Governance Offers Solutions For The EU Forbes.
  10. ^ [3] Schröder speech delivered on October 31, 2012
  11. ^ A Billionaire Dreams of Steering Europe’s Future New York Times
  12. ^ François Hollande raises alarm over Europe’s young jobless The Financial Times
  13. ^ http://berggruen.org/councils/the-future-of-europe
  14. ^ [4] The Financial Times
  15. ^ European Leaders Huddle on Youth Unemployment The New York Times
  16. ^ [5] Oakland Tribune.
  17. ^ http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2013/10/31/585690/10055668/en/Ernesto-Zedillo-to-Chair-21st-Century-Council-of-Berggruen-Institute-on-Governance.html
  18. ^ A Man For All Reasons Forbes.
  19. ^ [6]
  20. ^ [7] Berggruen Institute. Retrieved 2011-06-06.
  21. ^ La Jornada: Peligro de nueva crisis global por la falta de regulación financiera. 2012.
  22. ^ Berggruen, Nicolas; Gardels, Nathan (2013). Intelligent Governance for the 21st Century.
  23. ^ 24 Horas. "México será un elemento de cambio”. 2012.
  24. ^ Sarkozy, Nicolas. "A Permanent Secretariat for the G-20." Digital NPQ. 2013.
  25. ^ [8] Berggruen Institute, Who We Are. Retrieved on 2013-01-01.
  26. ^ New York Times : January 7, 2011
  27. ^ Nicolas Berggruen invests in California governance Californians to watch By Torey Van Oot
  28. ^ Nicolas Berggruen Institute. Retrieved 2013-01-01.
  29. ^ [9] Bid to remake California state government finds major benefactor]
  30. ^ A Blueprint to Renew California: Report and Recommendations, Berggruen Institute
  31. ^ Berggruen, Nicolas and Gardels, Nathan. "A Blueprint to Renew California." Huffington Post. 2011.
  32. ^ [10]. Retrieved 2011-06-06.
  33. ^ [11] New York Times: "Nicolas Berggruen Wants to Bridge the East-West Gap"
  34. ^ [12]. Berggruen Institute Retrieved on October 27, 2015
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