Mineral fertilizers have never been used as much as they are today, and in developing countries they are experiencing a renaissance. But the efficacy of mineral fertilizers and the problems they entail have long been a matter of contention. This study provides an overview of the economic and ecological potential as well as the limitations and negative impacts of mineral fertilizers in the tropics and subtropics.

Transnational organized crime  is an inherent feature of economic globalization, and there are networks operating in both legal and illegal sectors. This publication gives a cross cultural and multi-disciplinary analysis of transnational organized crime including a historical approach from different regional and cultural contexts.

Africa is the world’s youngest continent, with people under the age of 35 constituting about 65 percent of the population. This edition of Perspectives sheds light on youth politics and youth in politics in the continent and asks: Are the youth a political force?

The Annual Reports of the Heinrich Böll Foundation provide a comprehensive insight into our work in Germany and around the globe. They are available online and since 2011 in a printed version. The 2012 report focusses on our involvement in subjects such as sustainability, energy policy and the euro crisis.

The April issue of our Turkish "Perspectives" magazine portrays the environmental movement in Turkey and takes a closer look at its agenda, its protagonists, its biggest achievements and its relationship to the political sphere. Furthermore, it provides articles on the fields of democracy, culture, ecology and foreign policy.

Africa is facing a severe energy crisis and fails to meet the increasing demand for electricity. Renewable Energy Feed-in Tarifs (REFiTs) is one tool that has been successful in increasing the use of renewable technologies worldwide. This comprehensive study comissioned by the Heinrich Böll Stiftung and the World Future Council shows that REFiTs can unlock renewable energy development in Africa.

The positive economic and environmental arguments for a shift in paradigm to ‘smart growth' using efficient technology, smart energy policy and proactive innovation.

Publication Series on Ecology 31: A profound flaw of our civilisation, with its multiple crises, could lie in the fact that we deny the world’s deeply creative, poetic and expressive processes, all of them constantly unfolding and bringing forth a multitude of dynamic, interacting relationships. We might have forgotten what it means to be alive.

The EU debt crisis has clearly shown that the monetary union cannot be upheld without coordinated fiscal and economic policies. But many citizens are under the impression that their voices, and those of their national parliaments, are being sidelined in favour of ever-greater centralisation – and that, in the process, democracy is being eroded.

Publication Series on Democracy 31: The present study by Andrea Fleschenberg shows that in national and international debates about the transition process in Afghanistan women’s voices are seldom present, or taken into consideration.