Berlin – ESI teaches students how to advocate for better policy

5 December 2025
Berlin. Photo: flickr/Matze A.
Berlin. Photo: flickr/Matze A.

ESI’s Gerald Knaus led a workshop on policy advocacy for students at CIFE Berlin, titled “Counting Things and Telling Stories – How to Research, Write and Talk”. The event was organized by CIFE, a pan-European higher-educational institution.

At the workshop, Gerald taught students how they can maximize their impact on European policy debates. He discussed with the students how to write memorably and clearly to influence policy-makers. Talking about his experience at ESI, Gerald explained how he has pitched policy ideas that have made a difference, including his work on exposing Azeri corruption in the Council of Europe, the 2016 Turkey-EU migration agreement, or ESI research on the Balkans. Gerald continued that now more than ever, Europe needs original thinking. He noted the success of the far-right amidst decreasing trust in our liberal-democratic system’s abilities to solve difficult issues such as migration.

Yet, he argued, there are solutions – noting work he is doing right now to advance a migration agreement between the EU and the UK. He encouraged students to be bold and stand up forcefully for liberal democracy. In addition to his lecture, Gerald interacted directly with the students, preparing writing exercises and answering various questions about his work.