The Berggruen Institute is a Los Angeles-based think tank founded by

Nicolas Berggruen Nicolas Berggruen (; born 10 August 1961) is a US-based billionaire investor and philanthropist. Born in Paris, France, he is a dual German and American citizen. He is the founder and president of Berggruen Holdings, a private investment company ...

History

Berggruen Institute was formed in 2010 by founder

and co-founder

Nathan Gardels Nathan Gardels (born December 22, 1952) is an American journalist who is the editor-in-chief of ''Noema Magazine''. He is also the co-founder of and a senior adviser to the Berggruen Institute. He previously served as editor-in-chief of The Worl ...

as a global network of "thinkers" dedicated to coming up with systemic solutions to various world problems. In 2014, the Institute created an online global publication called The WorldPost, which was partnered with

Huffpost ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...

and later

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

. The WorldPost is now known as ''Noema Magazine'', which is published both online and in print. In 2015, the Institute created the Berggruen Fellowship Program in partnership with several universities, including Harvard, USC, and Peking University. The program sponsors young, emerging “thinkers”. Berggruen has recruited numerous supporters and advisers of the Institute including

Eric Schmidt Eric Emerson Schmidt (born April 27, 1955) is an American businessman and former computer engineer who was the chief executive officer of Google from 2001 to 2011 and the company's chairman, executive chairman from 2011 to 2015. He also was the ...

Reid Hoffman Reid Garrett Hoffman (born August 5, 1967) is an American internet entrepreneur, venture capitalist, podcaster, and author. Hoffman is the co-founder and former executive chairman of LinkedIn, a business-oriented social network used primarily ...

Arianna Huffington Arianna Stassinopoulos Huffington (; , ; born July 15, 1950) is a Greek American author, syndicated columnist and businesswoman. She is a co-founder of ''HuffPost'', the founder and CEO of Thrive Global, and the author of fifteen books. She ha ...

Evan Spiegel Evan Thomas Spiegel (born June 4, 1990) is an American businessman, co-founder and CEO of Snap Inc. Spiegel was the youngest billionaire in the world in 2015. , he had a personal net worth of $2.6 billion according to ''Forbes''. Early li ...

, Stephan Schwarzman,

Ernesto Zedillo Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León (; born 27 December 1951) is a Mexican economist and politician. He was the 61st president of Mexico from 1994 to 2000, as the last of the uninterrupted 71-year line of Mexican presidents from the Institutional Re ...

Jack Dorsey Jack Patrick Dorsey (born November 19, 1976) is an American businessperson, who is a co-founder of Twitter, Inc. and its CEO during 2007–2008 and 2015–2021, as well as co-founder, principal executive officer and chairman of Block, Inc. (deve ...

Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman. He is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been considered the wealthiest person in th ...

, and

Patrick Soon-Shiong Patrick Soon-Shiong (born July 29, 1952) is a South African and American businessman, investor, medical researcher, and transplant surgeon. He is the inventor of the drug Abraxane, which is used for lung, breast, and pancreatic cancer. Soon-S ...

Berggruen Institute councils and committees

21st Century Council

The 21st Century Council brings together former heads of state, global thinkers and entrepreneurs from across cultural and political boundaries to address the problems arising from power shifts from Western-dominated globalization to a

multipolar world Polarity in international relations is any of the various ways in which power is distributed within the international system. It describes the nature of the international system at any given period of time. One generally distinguishes three types ...

. The Council is devoted to global governance reform with the aim to "build on a convergence of interests in order to create a community of interests." The council is chaired by former president of Mexico

Council on the Future of Europe

The

Council on the Future of Europe Council for the Future of Europe is a think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technolo ...

is a committee engaged in research, debate and advocacy to move forward the project of a united Europe. It advocates not only a fiscal and political union within Europe but also the engagement of European citizens. It supports "town hall" meetings and seminars to provide a forum for Council members and European leaders to bring their ideas to the public. In May 2013, the council held a "town hall" meeting endorsed by the French President Francois Hollande, Spanish Prime Minister

Mariano Rajoy Mariano Rajoy Brey (, ; born 27 March 1955) is a Spanish politician who served as Prime Minister of Spain from 2011 to 2018, when a 2018 vote of no confidence in the government of Mariano Rajoy, vote of no confidence ousted his government. A m ...

, and Italian labor minister. The council and Germany's labor minister,

Ursula von der Leyen Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen (; ; born 8 October 1958) is a German politician, serving as president of the European Commission since 2019. She served in the Cabinet of Germany, German federal government between 2005 and 2019, holding position ...

, proposed an investment, training, and jobs program for Europe. The program eventually became a part of European policy in January 2015 when European Commission President

Jean-Claude Juncker Jean-Claude Juncker (; born 9 December 1954) is a Luxembourgish politician who was List of prime ministers of Luxembourg, prime minister of Luxembourg from 1995 to 2013 and president of the European Commission from 2014 to 2019. He also was List ...

proposed the 315 billion euro Investment Plan.

The Think Long Committee for California

The Think Long Committee for California promotes a comprehensive approach for improving California's government. It has involved a politically

bi-partisan Bipartisanship, sometimes referred to as nonpartisanship, is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system (especially those of the United States and some other western countries), in which opposing political parties find co ...

board from the outset. In November 2011, the Committee published its report, ''A Blueprint to Renew California''. The report recommended the devolution of power to local governments and school districts, reform of the democracy initiative process to ensure greater consideration of measures proposed by the public, establishment of a "rainy day" fund for economic downturns, a body of long-term oversight to balance the short-term, special-interest character of the elected legislature, and

modernization Modernization theory or modernisation theory holds that as societies become more economically modernized, wealthier and more educated, their political institutions become increasingly liberal democratic and rationalist. The "classical" theories ...

of California's tax system. In 2014, the committee helped promote SB 1253, "The Ballot Initiative Transparency Act", eventually approved on September 28, 2014. It increase the opportunities for

public comment In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

, and allows lawmakers and proponents to make changes before

ballot A ballot is a device used to cast votes in an election and may be found as a piece of paper or a small ball used in voting. It was originally a small ball (see blackballing) used to record decisions made by voters in Italy around the 16th cent ...

initiatives go to the voters. The committee also supported Proposition 2 in 2014, "The Rainy Day Fund", which sets aside a small percentage of revenue each year to pay the state's debt and safeguard against economic downturns.

The LA Committee

The LA Committee, introduced in 2016, is made up of Los Angeles and California residents from across sectors whose aim is to assist the institute in building a community of support and creating impactful programs in Los Angeles. The committee is chaired by Geoffrey Cowan, the founding president of Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands.

Sense LA

The Sense LA program was unveiled in 2019 to be a tool for social cohesion and public participation in Los Angeles using the power of art and the city's collective intelligence. In September 2019 it launched its first project with the Korean American Federation to develop formal and actionable recommendations for the city's master urban plan, a field test in participatory representative democracy. Sense LA is led by Berggruen fellow Gabriel Kahan.

Berggruen Institute programs and work

The Institute's core work is done through its four programs: Future Humans, The Future of Capitalism, The Future of Democracy, and Geopolitics and Globalization. Additionally, the Global Fellowship Program enables thinkers to study globally in different areas of the world. In 2016, the Berggruen Prize, an annual one million dollar award, was unveiled.

Future Humans

Launched in Fall 2022, this interdisciplinary program unites experimentalists, creators, and scholars who will not only track, but also shape, how humans of the future will collaborate with forecasted natures and technologies.

The Future of Capitalism Program

The Future of Capitalism program seeks to envision new models and mechanisms for managing and legitimating market economies while addressing the current environmental and distributional challenges. It has two main programs: the Universal Basic Assets program which explores ways to equip individuals with universal access to an asset base that is mutually administered and distributes benefits to its stakeholders and the New Political Economy program which explores innovative proposals for how leaders at all different levels of governance can best respond to and reshape globalized capitalism.

The Future of Democracy Program

The Future of Democracy program brings together leaders and thinkers to re-imagine

democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...

for the new era to develop new ideas for how to reinvent democratic

institution An institution is a humanly devised structure of rules and norms that shape and constrain social behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions and ...

s and rebuild the public square for the 21st century.

Geopolitics and Globalization Program

The Geopolitics and Globalization Program, home to the 21st Century Council, focuses on two projects: Thriving in a Transactional International Order, which is aimed at building a forward-looking model of the international system that focuses on liberal outcomes without relying on the revival of anachronistic institutions, and Promoting US-China Dialogue on AI & Security, which is responsible for the three "Understanding China" conferences in Beijing since its inception.

Global Fellowship Program

The Fellowship Program is a two-year program that gives scholars the opportunity to study at academic institutions all over the world.

Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture

The Berggruen Institute presented its first Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture in 2016. The million-dollar award, chosen by an independent jury, is given annually to a thinker whose ideas are of broad significance for shaping human self-understanding and the advancement of humanity. The inaugural recipient in 2016 was Charles Taylor, one of the world's foremost philosophers who has deepened the understanding among different intellectual traditions and civilizations. The 2017 laureate was Onora O’Neill. A broad-ranging philosopher of politics and ethics, international justice and bioethics, O'Neill is a Professor Emerita of Philosophy at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

and the former chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission in Great Britain. In 2018, the Prize was awarded to author and public philosopher Martha C. Nussbaum to recognize her ability to use the power of literature and the classical world to help global audiences understand vulnerability—particularly the emotions in moral and political life—and the conditions for human wellbeing and happiness. The 2019 Berggruen Prize was awarded to U.S. Supreme Court Justice

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg ( ; Bader; March 15, 1933 – September 18, 2020) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until Death and state funeral of Ruth Bader ...

for her work in pioneering gender equality and using the law to advance ethical and philosophical principles of equality and human rights. The 2020 Berggruen Prize was awarded to Dr.

Paul Farmer Paul Edward Farmer (October 26, 1959 – February 21, 2022) was an American medical anthropology, medical anthropologist and physician. Farmer held an MD and PhD from Harvard University, where he was a Harvard University Professor, University ...

for his impactful work at the intersection of public health and human rights.

Peter Singer Peter Albert David Singer (born 6 July 1946) is an Australian moral philosopher who is Emeritus Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. Singer's work specialises in applied ethics, approaching the subject from a secu ...

, the Australian moral philosopher and bioethicist, was awarded the 2021 Berggruen Prize for his pioneering work on effective altruism, as well as his work on animal rights and the global eradication of poverty. In 2022, Kojin Karatani became the first Asian laureate to receive the Prize. Announcing the award, the Berggruen Prize jury lauded Karatani as a polymath whose scholarly breadth has encompassed philosophy, literary theory, economics, politics and aesthetics, among other disciplines. In 2023, sociologist and social theorist Patricia Hill Collins became the first African-American woman to be awarded the Berggruen Prize. In their statement, the Berggruen Prize jury described her work and writing which has identified often overlooked arenas of political action and explored injustice and resistance to it.

Berggruen Prize Essay Competition

In 2024, The Berggruen Institute announced the annual Berggruen Prize Essay Competition. The competition welcomes essay submissions in English and Chinese, awarding $25,000 per language category. By delving into fundamental philosophical inquiries relevant to both the present and future, it aims to broaden the scope of our quest for fresh ideas and new paradigms during unprecedented times. This contest complements the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy & Culture which acknowledges significant lifelong contributions.

Berggruen China Center

In June 2018, the Berggruen Institute announced plans to house a China Center at

Peking University Peking University (PKU) is a Public university, public Types of universities and colleges in China#By designated academic emphasis, university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of the Peop ...

, an interdisciplinary research center founded with the aim to foster more cross-cultural dialogue. It houses fellows, and offers symposia and conferences.

''Noema Magazine''

In 2014, Berggruen Institute created a global media platform, The WorldPost, and partnered with

HuffPost ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...

to publish on its platform. Later in 2017, Berggruen Institute announced a partnership with

to publish The WorldPost content only on Washington Post as a media platform that included op-eds, videos, and features by writers around the world. In 2020, The WorldPost was changed to a digital and print magazine and named Noema Magazine. Noema publishes essays, interviews, reportage, videos, and art on several topics including culture, technology, philosophy, governance, geopolitics, and economics.

is editor-in-chief of Noema, and Kathleen Miles is the executive editor.

Berggruen Institute Scholar's Campus: Monteverdi

The Berggruen Institute is planning a new Scholars’ Campus in the

Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains are a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area encompasses this mountain range. Because of its p ...

, off Stoney Hill Road above the Getty Center. The campus, designed by a team of architects led by

Herzog and de Meuron Herzog & de Meuron Basel Ltd. is an international architecture firm headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, with additional offices in Berlin, Hong Kong, London, Munich, New York City, Paris, and San Francisco. Founded in 1978 by Jacques Herzog an ...

and

Gensler Gensler is a global design and architecture firm headquartered in San Francisco, California. It is the largest architecture firm in the world by revenue and number of architects. In 2022, Gensler generated $1.785 billion in revenue, the most o ...

, will house the institute's programs, fellowships, and scholars. As of mid-2024, the Campus is under construction.Upcoming Scholars Campus (undated) with site map
Berggruen Institute. Retrieved 10/4/2024.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Berggruen Institute Think tanks based in the United States Think tanks established in 2010 2010 establishments in California Non-profit organizations based in Los Angeles