Public Program

The Aspen Institute Germany’s Public Program serves as a forum for open discourse and exchange between decision-makers and a broader audience of interested individuals who wish to discuss fresh ideas and look at issues from new perspectives. As part of its mission, the Public Program is committed to both informing the public as well as engaging participants in a constructive discourse. For this reason, the majority of the Public Program events are open to the public. Topics reflect the Institute’s key issues and include a wide range of current political, economic, and social matters, as well as questions of values-based leadership.

The Public Program consists of several different formats. With quarterly intervals, the Public Program hosts International Press Roundtables on current political and economic topics. A total of up to five foreign correspondents working in Berlin discuss the outcome of national elections or G7 summit meetings from the perspective of their country.

The Public Program promotes the political literacy of the public by facilitating the open exchange between decision-makers from politics, business and society. Having an educated public is fundamental for a value-based society and for a healthy democracy.

The Aspen Fireside Chats are intended as a more personal format in which the speaker(s) share insights into their path to becoming the person they are today, the challenges of their profession, and the impact their work can create.

The Aspen Brown Bag Lunch series takes place several times a year and convenes experts, members of the Verein der Freunde des Aspen Institutes e.V. (Association of Friends of the Aspen Institute), and representatives from politics, business, and civil society for a working lunch to discuss current topics under Chatham House Rule.

Prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Public Program is increasingly organizing Virtual Panel Discussions with experts on current topics such as the war in Ukraine, the crisis of the world trading system, and the importance of science and basic research for modern societies. This format allows for both an international panel of experts and an international audience.

Finally, the Public Program occasionally hosts stand-alone events such as exclusive breakfasts and dinners, the annual Aspen Summer Party, and the Aspen Gala. Some of these are hosted in cooperation with partner organizations.

The Public Program is open to members, invited guests, and upon request. Members of the Verein der Freunde des Aspen Instituts e.V. enjoy preferred access to major Public Program events.

The Public Program is made possible by the generous support of the Shepard Stone Foundation, the Verein der Freunde des Aspen Instituts e.V. (Berlin), and the Friends of Aspen Germany (Washington, DC)

Global Threats Series

In 2022, the Public Program launched the “Global Threats Series”. Within this event format, the Aspen Institute Germany hosts exclusive expert discussions on diverse global threats such as climate change, pandemics, cyberattacks and wars. The events are accompanied by a social media interviews.

International Press Roundtable

The Public Program hosts international press roundtables on a quarterly basis. The event format provides for a discussion between four to five representatives of the international media landscape who evaluate current events in politics, economy, and society from the perspective of their country.

Publications Series Transatlantische Impulse

Together with the institutions and political foundations of the “Road to Election Night & Beyond”, the Public Program observed Joe Biden’s domestic and foreign policy in a publication series from a transatlantic perspective. The aim was to pick up on the hopeful transatlantic momentum following Joe Biden’s inauguration. The publications reflected a diverse range of topics with frequent contributions from the respective partners

Event Series Road to Election Night & Beyond

In 2020, the Aspen Institute Germany along with an exceptional group of transatlantic partner institutions and political foundations hosted the virtual event series Road to Election Night & Beyond. The series facilitated in-depth discussion amongst leading researchers, policymakers, think-tanks, and civil society in the run up to last year’s U.S. election.