Seeking solutions
Current research on Light, Life, Liberty
One question—one answer
University researchers on contemporary issues
Prof. Dr Jens-Christian Wagner is standing in an open area at the former Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar.
How can democracy exist without a past?
Text: Jens-Christian Wagner
Scientifically grounded historiography is a source-based yet constructive process that makes no claim to definitive truth and is shaped by subjective perception as well as collective interpretation. A society's understanding of its history is an ongoing process of negotiation, without calling fundamental facts into question.
Almost all social and political systems derive their legitimacy from history—often through a narrative of national greatness that is not overly concerned with facts. This is especially true of authoritarian or dictatorial regimes. In democracies, however, a critical and reflective approach to history should prevail, especially when it comes to understanding history as a starting point for democratic processes of self-understanding aimed at determining precisely what kind of social order we wish to live in.
One example of this is Germany’s culture of remembrance. German history in the 20th century is indelibly marked by Nazi crimes. Our democracy, with the inviolability of human dignity enshrined in Article 1 of the Basic Law, is founded on the lessons learned from this history. The acknowledgement of Nazi crimes, in particular the Holocaust, is the foundation of our democracy. Anyone who propagates revisionist views of history and trivializes the Holocaust is attacking democracy. We must counter this with a source-based, scientifically grounded, and critical engagement with history.
Jens-Christian Wagner is a historian and professor of History in the Media and Public Sphere at the University of Jena and heads up the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Memorials Foundation. In 2025, he was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for his commitment to combating historical revisionism.
How can we make pensions secure again?
Prof. Dr Silke Übelmesser, portrayed next to a model of Germany’s population pyramid.
Image: Nicole Nerger (University of Jena)Text: Silke Übelmesser
As baby boomers enter retirement, population aging in Germany is becoming increasingly apparent. In the coming years, economic growth is likely to continue to slow, while spending on social security is expected to rise. Pay-as-you-go systems, such as the statutory pension insurance scheme, are particularly affected. To ensure their long-term stability, reforms are needed that are sustainable and encompass all three pillars of old-age provision.
There are several levers that can be adjusted to achieve this. In the statutory pension insurance system, these include, in particular, retirement age, pension level, and contribution rate. Another question is how to expand contribution-paying employment, for example by increasing labour force participation among women, older workers, and immigrant workers. Occupational and private pension plans can also make an important contribution. For this to happen, they must be widely available and reach all segments of the population.
Overall, the goal should be to ensure reliable retirement security for both high earners and low-income individuals, based on the three pillars and, if necessary, supplemented by government transfers. Achieving this will require that all the aforementioned levers, as well as other possible adjustments, be considered together to arrive at a sustainable and intergenerationally equitable outcome.
Silke Übelmesser, financial economist from the University of Jena, is one of eight academic members of the German federal government's Pensions Commission. The committee has been tasked with developing proposals for a comprehensive reform of the pension system in Germany by mid-2026.
