On this episode of The Zeitgeist, AGI President Jeff Rathke talks with participants in the AGI project on social divisions in Germany and the United States, which recently visited Glendale, AZ. Melanie Mello, educational consultant and specialist for German; Rohat Akcakaya, master’s student in public policy at Peking University and the London School of Economics ; and Susanne Dieper, AGI Director of Programs and Grants, share their impressions and findings. In Glendale, the participants explored the experiences and challenges related to economic and demographic change as well as their impact on society and politics with representatives of local government and civil society organizations. Melanie Mello and Rohat Akcakaya discuss the local challenge of population growth, income disparity, and consequences of climate change, despite an economic boom. They recount creative efforts to bridge social and economic divisions, including the local government initiatives to connect with young generations of residents and engage people from diverse backgrounds in local policy making.
The AGI project “Social Divisions and Questions of Identity in Germany and the United States” seeks to establish new connections within and between communities and is supported by the Transatlantic Program of the Federal Republic of Germany, funded by the European Recovery Program (ERP) of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).

Host
Jeff Rathke, President, AGI
Guests
Rohat Akcakaya, master’s student in public policy, Peking University and the London School of Economics
Susanne Dieper, Director of Programs and Grants, AGI
Melanie Mello, educational consultant and specialist for German