Article Series: The Future Visions of Individual Parties in Germany and Austria

The article aims to explore the long-term visions that Austrian political parties have for the country. All relevant parties are to answer what their country would look like in 20 or 30 years if they were able to implement their political ideas. Because while parties frequently present short-term goals and individual demands, their overarching vision for the future usually remains unclear.

What is needed, therefore, is not a detailed party manifesto, but a short, understandable, and as concrete a vision as possible. This should show how people will live, work, and reside in the future, and how prosperity should be distributed. Education, climate, migration, digitalization, care, democracy, social security, and the role of the state should also be taken into account. Instead of general buzzwords like „affordable,“ „secure,“ „modern,“ or „fair,“ a positive and comprehensible picture of the aspired-to Austria and Germany is needed. At the center is the question of how the living conditions of as many people as possible can be measurably improved.

The answers of the parties should be clearly compared with one another. This allows readers to better see which fundamental political direction corresponds to their own ideas and interests. At the same time, it would make it possible to check later whether the parties' day-to-day political actions and voting behavior actually align with their formulated vision for the future.