Disruption and Reform
In light of global crises and increasingly disruptive, authoritarian forms of politics, forward-looking, cooperative reforms are necessary to secure sustainable development, international cooperation and democratic foundations. In this web special you will find IDOS's work on the dynamics of our 2025/26 annual theme, ‘Disruption and Reform’.
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The Future of World Trade
The global trading system is in a phase of upheaval and uncertainty. Against this backdrop, the trade experts at IDOS are examining the effectiveness, legitimacy and sustainability of the international trading system.
Food security and agriculture for a world without hunger
The research and advisory project addresses the question of how development cooperation can make a more effective contribution to improving food security in rural sub-Saharan Africa.
YouTube Video: BMZ reform agenda 2026
The application phase for the MGG Academy 2026 is open until 9 March 2026. Apply now!
The application period of the 62nd Postgraduate Programme is open until 31 March 2026
Watch all Videos of the series on International Cooperation
Our expertise on the Trump presidency as well as on other topics
Opinion pieces and media contributions
Are youth protests pathways to democracy? Lessons from Madagascar
GenZ protests are not always disruptive. Yet, in Madagascar, in an empowering moment for the youth, they toppled the regime.
Read moreEnhancing the social contract: Why it matters
Social contracts can be understood as the total set of explicit and implicit agreements between the state and society. Mmany of these agreements are implicit: citizens may never formally consent, yet they accept—or at least tolerate—the governing order so long as expectations are met.
Read moreEvents
Bonn, 04.02.2026
Online, 05.02.2026
Current publications
Geopolitics and development in Central Asia: exploring opportunities for middle powers
Woo, Hyeyoung (2/2026)
What do the 2015 SDG negotiations teach us for a beyond-2030 framework?
von Haaren, Paula / Axel Berger (1/2026)
Animal Celebrities - then and now: exploring oceanic imaginaries through celebrity marine mammals
Gehrke, Charlotte (2026)
The Personalist Global Order: when individual whims drive Great-Power Policy
Gunitsky, Seva / Semuhi Sinanoglu (2026)
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