In June 2000, the heads of 14 reform-minded social democratic governments met in Berlin at the invitation of Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schroder, to share experiences in a whole new way. The structure of the top-level meeting was unusual: diplomatic protocol was dispensed with to encourage informal, open talks.
And the group assembled there was also unique. Heads of government from all over the world were represented. Argentina, Brazil and Chile took part, as did Britain, Canada, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, Sweden and the United States. While the anger of globalization critics at the summits of the industrialized nations is growing, the Berlin Conference showed an alternative. Its vision is the democratization of globalization.
The gathering identified the common goals of progressive governments in the face of globalization. They demonstrated that it is modern reform-minded governments which are shaping a new policy for the new century. Their working method consisted of comparing best practices and exchanging domestic experience at international level. Conclusions were summarized in the Berlin Communique.
200 experts, key political advisers and journalists presented the most original solutions. The papers in this book, which have been co-edited by Friedhelm Neidhardt and Jurgen Kocka, the then and the current President of the Social Science Research Centre Berlin, shed light on the intellectual perspective of one of the most fascinating projects in international politics.