International podcast importing ideas: What strengthens cohesion

Crises divide a society. In order to regain lost cohesion, there are bridge building seminars in the USA and citizen councils in Ireland. Of the idea import-Podcast explains their approaches

Two and a half years of the corona pandemic and many months of war in Ukraine: Many are on edge. With all the exhaustion, fear and disappointment about the current world situation, distrust in society is also growing – towards the media, politics and even friends and relatives. What is needed would be more cohesion.

the ARD this week deals intensively with the “we” in Germany. According to an Infratest dimap study commissioned for this purpose, almost two-thirds of voters see social cohesion in Germany at risk.

The current episode of daily News-foreign podcasts idea import finds two approaches to overcoming in the United States and Ireland: ARD correspondent Julia Kastein introduces people who build bridges to bridge the gap. ARD correspondent Christoph Prössl traveled to the citizens’ councils in Ireland.

Camp thinking in midterm elections

The midterms, the midterm elections in the USA, took place this week. There has been much talk of a Republican “Red Wave” ahead of the election — a red wave of Republicans sweeping through the Houses of Congress. But the expected landslide victory did not materialize.

But even if the elections were close – the divisions remain: election observers have noticed that the proportion of US swing voters is becoming smaller and smaller. The characteristics of the candidate themselves are hardly decisive anymore – because the Americans are increasingly committed to one party. So camp thinking is becoming more entrenched.

“Big city brats” in Texas

And this despite the fact that there seems to be a longing for more peace and cohesion in the USA: because there are Americans who are driven by the desire to get closer to one another again. The so-called bridge builders bring together people who want to learn to listen and talk to each other again: Republicans with Democrats, supporters with opponents of strict gun laws, liberal abortion rights or open borders for immigrants.

And Americans should also meet again in other ways, for example on a national student exchange. “Big city brats from New York are sent to Texas, for example,” to find out for themselves what the cowboy clichés are all about, explains Julia Kastein.

Irish Citizens Councils

For many decades, Catholic Ireland had the strictest abortion law in Europe, and abortions were punishable even in cases of incest, rape or a sick fetus.

But that has changed. Thanks to the Citizens’ Assembly, a citizens’ council in which not politicians but also the citizens decide together which laws the country should implement. And although Ireland is so strictly Catholic, the Citizens’ Council decided surprisingly liberally on the subject of abortion rights.

“I was very skeptical when I went to Ireland, I thought to myself: ‘Yes, nice to have such a citizens’ council, but actually a parliament should be able to do that too.’ And then I let myself be convinced,” says Christoph Prössl about his trip.

Search for ideas in the tagesschau podcast

For many questions that arise again and again in everyday life, there are guaranteed to be good ideas, possible role models and solutions somewhere in the world: How better to deal with sharply rising energy prices? What to do to eat healthier? Why do people in other countries sometimes live longer?

The foreign podcast daily News searches and finds them – together with the correspondents in the 30 foreign studios of the ARD. idea import wants to look beyond the proverbial box and provide fresh ideas for new input in political and social debates.

idea import will be published every second Friday from April 22, 2022. You can listen to the podcast anytime at home or on the go on your smartphone – every second Friday morning you will find a new episode on our website, in which ARD audio library and on numerous other podcast platforms.