PROGRAMS
In each program we gather thinkers and practitioners with interdisciplinary and intercultural backgrounds in academia, politics, business, media, the arts, and technology around concrete projects that effect positive social change.
Fellows live and work together in Hamburg at the Warburg Ensemble. Learn more about becoming a program chair, a fellow or a visitor.
PROGRAMS 2023/24
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Governing the Planetary Commons
How are the planetary commons to be governed in an ecologically responsible, just, democratic, and resilient way?
The program "Governing the Planetary Commons: a Focus on the Amazon" examines how to responsibly and sustainably govern crucial Earth systems, using the Amazon Rainforest as an example, and explores different governance models that could work in an ecologically sound, democratic, and resilient way. -
Depolarizing Public Debates
How can we depolarize public debates on socio-ecological transformations?
The aim of the program „Depolarizing Public Debates“ is to develop tools for reducing polarization in public discussions about socio-ecological issues, engaging with practitioners from journalism, digital platforms, and civil society. -
Conceptions of Human Flourishing
How does a non-materialist conception of human flourishing inform the reformulation of the SDGs in 2030?
The program „Conceptions of Human Flourishing” explores how different cultures conceive of human flourishing, how the current materialist approach may limit it, and how to redesign the SDGs with a broader, more inclusive view of what human flourishing means. -
Black Feminism and the Polycrisis
How can we use the unique insights and intersectional methods of Black feminism to respond to the complexities of the contemporary polycrisis?
The program "Black Feminism and the Polycrisis" aims to offer a novel solution space to interlocking global crises by drawing on intersectional theory and praxis, developing critical arguments about its relationship to Europatriarchal systems of domination, and offering imaginative visions for a better future. -
Reclaiming Common Wealth
What are pathways, processes and institutional designs for the generation and governance of land commons?
The program "Reclaiming Common Wealth" explores pathways, processes, and institutional designs for the generation and governance of land commons, aiming to address discontents arising from institutional investments in land, assess theories and concepts of property and value, and establish a repository of the law and institutional design of land commons, with a focus on Commons Public Partnerships.
2021/23
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The Human Condition in the 21st Century
How can we create a sustainable value-system for the 21st century?
This foundational program asks what it means to be human in the 21st century and how to create a sustainable value system for our interconnected world. The program examines the relationships between humans and nature, freedom, morality, growth, animals, and technology, and seeks to turn insights from philosophy and social science into actionable projects. -
The Future of Democracy
How can we transition to an ecologically responsible and democratically resilient future?
The program “The Future of Democracy” places its main focus on the prospects for comprehensive ecological democratization. The guiding rationale is that social transformations require a collective imaginary of a future worth striving for. -
Socio-Economic Transformation
How can the economy serve social well-being within planetary boundaries?
Our economy must serve our social needs and respect planetary boundaries. But this is currently not the case: we are on an unsustainable path. Our economic activities have contributed to societies growing more unequal across various dimensions, depriving some of meeting their basic human needs and putting political systems under stress. -
The New Hanse Project
How can cities use data to become more democratic and sustainable?
The program “The New Hanse” investigates the relationship between urban digital infrastructures, data justice, and sustainability, supporting the city of Hamburg’s transformation towards climate neutrality with tangible data-driven pilot projects.
FELLOWS
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Carole Bloch
PRAESA and University of the Western Cape, South Africa
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Geoffrey Harpham
Literary scholar and intellectual historian
LATEST MEDIA
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podcast
01 Terra0 on Economies Beyond the HumanTerra0 uses artistic narratives to propose post-human economies. As they put it: "On the blockchain, no one knows you’re a tree."
Simon Denny | Podcast |
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podcast
02 Lee Tzu-Tung on Post-Colonial Blockchain Futures Lee Tzu-Tung on Post-Colonial Blockchain FuturesLee Tzu-Tung’s “prolonged undercover performance art” and “bionic cryptocurrency” strive towards open-source futures on the blockchain and beyond.
Simon Denny | Podcast |
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podcast
03 Mitchell F. Chan on Building BeliefIn a fluctuating market, what has staying power? Mitchell F. Chan reflects on the construction of value and art and crypto’s shared status as “receptacles of faith.”
Simon Denny | Podcast |
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podcast
04 Penny Rafferty on Playing the Game of GovernancePenny Rafferty is LARPing new forms of organizing into existence. Taking up tools and processes used in the blockchain world, she aims to open wider portals of possibility.
Simon Denny | Podcast |
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report
Prototyping For DemocracyHow does data sharing for the public good really work?
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editorial
The Good-Enough LifeOur fellow Avram Alpert on his latest book about accepting our limitations and leading more fulfilling lives.
Avram Alpert | Socio-Economic Transformation | Measuring Prosperity |
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editorial
The Earth4All Wellbeing IndexFive wellbeing economy principles for the world
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Press
Launch of the Urban Data ChallengeIdeas and solution proposals for data-based improvement of cycling and micromobility wanted.
The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and THE NEW INSTITUTE are jointly launching the Urban Data Challenge Hamburg. The goal is to gain new insights into cycling and micromobility flows in Hamburg in order to make the city more livable and sustainable. The best proposed solution will be awarded €40,000. -
report
Urban Data Deal for DemocracyHow The New Hanse tries to tackle the question of private-public-people partnership in the digital age. What is the role of data in the digital age? What are prominent ways of governing data? How can we best use data for our common good?
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Discussion Paper
The Integrative Power of the HumanitiesOut of crises comes the new: flood disasters, drought, heat waves, and forest fires, although accompanied by uncertainty, present an opportunity for sustainable change and necessitate the integration of the humanities to create new spaces for thought and action towards a more secure future.
Markus Gabriel | Christoph Horn | Anna Katsman | Corine Pelluchon | Ingo Venzke | Wilhelm Krull | Anna Luisa Lippold |
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interview
We Just Want The HoneyAna Prvački on the Lessons of Nature for Societal Change
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analysis
Ecological ImaginariesCarolyn Kirschner on Design for a Planet in Danger
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Press
A Partnership for the Digital FutureTHE NEW INSTITUTE starts a collaboration with the Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg
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message
What will be your legacy, Chancellor Scholz?Vanessa Nakate’s speech at the Helmut-Schmidt-Zukunftspreis 2022
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Leading with courage, vision and passion
Our program director and jury member Francesca Bria on Vanessa Nakate
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interview
Debt and DestructionThea Riofrancos on the Global Economic Order
Beyond the War | Art |
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interview
Respect What You HaveKinga Kiełczyńska on Reincarnation and The Limits of Art Production
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interview
The Art of ChangeEmma Enderby on Arts and Speculative Scenarios
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interview
Beyond Good and EvilElisabeth Strowick on Stories, Scenarios and Climate Change
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interview
Capitalism is the Main ProblemKim Stanley Robinson on Climate Change and Science Fiction