The 2026 course on “Getting Things Done in Politics”, taught by Sven T. Siefken and Armand Zorn at the Hertie School, concluded with a visit to and discussions at the German Bundestag. Grappling with current challenges as well as long-running demands on policy-making, the class investigated the complexities of the German political system and how to navigate it.
“What is Politics …” and “How is Politics …” in the parliamentary democracy of Germany? These were the topics of the opening and the final lectures by Sven T. Siefken in the international internship program of the Deutscher Bundestag. Introducing basic questions and institutions to the over 100 participants in March 2022 and moderating a…
In a deep-dive, Sven T. Siefken is teaching a class on politics in Europe as visiting professor at Colorado College. The goal of this comparative politics course is for students to get a deep understanding of how parliamentary democracies work and compare this to the presidential system of the US. In conversations with practitioners ans…
During the latest field trip, a group of students and Sven T. Siefken visited different departments of the Federal Police and other security agencies to discuss current threats and challenges. More about the German Federal Police here: https://www.bundespolizei.de As Or
How do you get things done in German politics? This is the topic of a practice-oriented class co-taught by Sven T. Siefken at the Hertie School in Berlin. It deals with work in political parties, candidate nomination, election campaigns and work in parliament and government. Graduate students in the Master of Public Policy, Master of…
Simulation games are an innovative way for teaching the logic and dynamics of the political process. Sven T. Siefken and a group of students from different universities participated in the parliamentary simulation that is run by the German Bundestag, going through the parliamentary phases of how a bill becomes a law. More on the simulation…
The Bundestag has been been running the international scholarship program for young professionals from various parts of the world. Sven T. Siefken delivered an opening presentation on „politics in a parliamentary democracy“ and led the discussion for the 2023 class of participants from various Arabic countries: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Tunisia, Bahrain, Algeria, Iraqi. More…