The youngest Germany’s mayor is Oxford University Alumni

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Modern day societies around the world are faced with numerous issues: from reducing health inequalities to fighting climate change. Can science be used for developing public policies? How willing are our leaders to rely on it in their decision-making? The German town of Tengen is a living proof of what can be achieved with a new generation of young leaders who understand that science and effective public policies should go hand in hand.

Tengen is a German town located in the province of Baden-Württemberg. With some 4,600 inhabitants, this town takes a very special place on the map of Germany. Since 2015, Tengen has been home to the youngest German mayor, Marian Schreier. Schreier turned 25 just three weeks before election day, the legal minimum age to run for mayor in Germany. 

Five years later, Schreier went back to local elections. This time, he attempted to become a mayor in his hometown of Stuttgart, which is Germany’s 6th largest city by population. Schreier was drawn back to his hometown, a city where he grew up and attended Eberhard-Ludwigs-Gymnasium. However, this time he was less successful and ended up not achieving his goal. He returned to Tengen and continued leading the town for another mandate.

Schreier was a student  of the Master of Public Policy’s initial class of the Blavatnik School of Government. The department is one of the University of Oxford’s newest and most vibrant ones. The young mayor emphasized the program gave him the knowledge and abilities he needed to conduct a successful campaign, and that he continued to apply the gained knowledge. He found the MPP’s focus on applied policy to be one of the features that set it apart from other programs he had looked into.

The opportunity to operate in a more direct kind of politics prompted his eventual switch to municipal politics. In March 2020, the whole world was brought to a standstill during the coronavirus pandemic. Workers were losing their jobs, healthcare systems were under strain, and local companies were at risk of permanent closure as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to spread and people were compelled to stay at home. Effective local policies were needed more than ever in recent history.

Schreier was particularly interested in the link between science and public policy during his master studies. The ongoing health crises proved the importance of relying on scientific methods in the challenges our societies face nowadays. Mayors all around the world have played an important role in ensuring the safety of their communities. With his refreshing approach, Schreier was able to handle the pandemic in Tengen.

A mayor must be able to sway others and foresee the positive and negative consequences of future decisions and acts. It’s also necessary to be able to show respect for different points of view and analyze numerous aspects of complex topics. The appointment of Schreier was therefore a fantastic thing for the whole generation of younger mayors across Europe. The young mayor was able to apply practical knowledge obtained at one of the world’s most prestigious universities and bring it to a town with less than 5,000 residents.

Mayor of Tengen Marian Schreier stated: “The fast-changing nature of the world we live in is particularly challenging because democratic processes are quite slow – they’re not designed to match the speed of events that we are witnessing outside. This is further compounded by resource constraints, both in terms of limited budgets and finite natural resources”. 

Schreier’s inspiring story demonstrates the positive contribution young people make in European cities and proves that their voices certainly deserve to be heard. If given a chance, young mayors can help cities cope with the challenges of the modern day by making progressive, science-based policies.