- October 13, 2025
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- January 15, 2026
On October 13, 2025, the Aspen Institute Germany and the American Council on Germany hosted the 15th discussion in the virtual event series State-to-State: German-American State Legislator Dialogue with German and U.S. state legislators.
On both sides of the Atlantic, social cohesion serves as the glue that holds democratic societies together. When people feel connected to one another and work toward shared goals, democratic institutions gain resilience and legitimacy. In today’s climate of global uncertainty, strengthening social cohesion is not just desirable, it is essential to safeguarding democracy.
Yet in recent years, social cohesion has weakened under the pressure of ever-accelerating transformation of societies. Both the United States and Germany navigate a world marked by polycrises, in which social divisions are deepening as political polarization and inequality grow. The result has been an unprecedented erosion of trust in democratic institutions and governance. In this context, state and Länder governments in both countries play a pivotal role. Their proximity to local communities and better understanding of the issues they face, equip subnational legislators with the means to effectively address the decline of social cohesion with policies reflecting local values and priorities. To build trust in democratic institutions, subnational legislators have the responsibility to produce policies that nurture social ties and community engagements at the local level.
We discussed these issues with Tom Brüntrup MdL (CDU), Member of the Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia, Simone Strohmayr MdL (SPD), Member of the Bavarian State Parliament, and Rep. Lydia Glaize (D), Member of the Georgia House of Representatives.
This event is part of the State-to-State: German-American State Legislator Dialogue which the Aspen Institute Germany and the American Council on Germany have launched to provide a platform for subnational exchange amongst German and American state legislators and a broader audience on common transatlantic challenges. The project builds on Aspen Germany’s Laboratories of Democracy Initiative, a transatlantic exchange program for German and American state legislators.
