John Kampfner

At a time when democracies seem paralyzed by fear and populations are turning inward, award-winning journalist John Kampfner travels to ten countries confronting our shared challenges with bravery and imagination.

- Taiwan's health system achieves 90% patient satisfaction at a fraction of the cost of the NHS.
- Moroccan solar panels in the Sahara produce enough clean energy to power two million homes.
- Estonia has transformed itself into a digital pioneer in a single generation - becoming the world's first fully digital government where 97.6% of citizens access state services online.
- Costa Rica has tripled its economy while doubling its forest cover, proving that green policies can pay direct dividends.

What unites these countries, and more, is a refusal to accept that difficult problems are unsolvable. The places showing true innovation are often those with their backs against the wall - not wealthy nations assuming they have all the answers. Braver New World is an urgent reminder that solutions exist. The question is whether we have the courage to learn.

The Countries Daring to do Things Others Won’t

Braver New World

Cassandra Tang

Wherever we look, someone has a lesson for us, if only we have the humility to want to learn.

The lesson for all cities is that it pays to be ambitious and imaginative. Communities are not created by accident. They take a long time to take root but can be destroyed in an instant.

There is no word for accountability in Finnish. Accountability is something that is left when responsibility has been subtracted

There is no perfect solution, only difficult choices around provision and cost. Adaptability and pragmatism are key.

Ruusalepp sums it up: ‘All you have is your brains. You have to be brave.

The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born. Now is the time of monsters.

Braver New World quotes

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