Braver New World
The Countries Daring to Do Things Others Won't
Published on 16. April 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
400 pages
978-1-80546-251-4 (ISBN)
Description
'Refreshing... A rare example of a Broken Britain book with answers' New Statesman
'Engaging and informative, imploring us not to lose hope' Observer
'A ray of sunshine' Start the Week, Radio 4
'Rattlingly readable... Inspiring' Financial Times
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.
'A persuasive and imaginative argument against the gloom of our times' Bronwen Maddox
'Solutions-focused authorship at its best' Andrew Roberts
'A how-to book with inspired answers to our urgent questions' Lyse Doucet
'Read this book as an antidote to fatalism and gloom' Robert Peston
'Closely reported, surprising and, above all, hopeful' Jonathan Freedland
'Engaging and informative, imploring us not to lose hope' Observer
'A ray of sunshine' Start the Week, Radio 4
'Rattlingly readable... Inspiring' Financial Times
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.
'A persuasive and imaginative argument against the gloom of our times' Bronwen Maddox
'Solutions-focused authorship at its best' Andrew Roberts
'A how-to book with inspired answers to our urgent questions' Lyse Doucet
'Read this book as an antidote to fatalism and gloom' Robert Peston
'Closely reported, surprising and, above all, hopeful' Jonathan Freedland
Reviews / Votes
Liberal democracy is in crisis, and John Kampfner, one of our foremost public intellectuals, has once again forced us to think profoundly about what to do about it... This is solutions-based authorship at its best. -- Andrew Roberts At a time when politics and government feel so broken in so many parts of the world, this is a dose of optimism amid the gloom; stunning examples of people and places where courage has led to real change for the better. -- Alastair Campbell Economic stagnation and social fracturing are not the irreversible fate of developed economies like the UK. John Kampfner has searched for answers by scouring the world for what works, from Taiwan to Finland to Costa Rica. Read this book as an antidote to fatalism and gloom. -- Robert Peston When too many despair at our ability to solve our biggest problems, Braver New World arrives to show us what governments - and people - can achieve. Ranging from the snows of Finland to the goat farms of southern India, it is closely reported, surprising and, above all, hopeful. I hope every maker of policy - and decisions - reads it. -- Jonathan Freedland, bestselling author of 'The Escape Artist' A Kampfner toolkit with smart thinking for our troubled times. This is a how-to book with inspired answers to our urgent questions from Karnataka to Costa Rica to Canada. -- Lyse Doucet, BBC International Editor and author of 'The Finest Hotel in Kabul' Fascinating... The big question of our time is whether mainstream politics can work. John Kampfner believes it can, and shows us many ways that it does. -- Daniel Finkelstein, bestselling author of 'Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad' Braver New World offers a compelling and compassionate account of practical solutions from around the world... and challenges readers to start learning from those bold enough to act. -- Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London A persuasive and imaginative argument against the gloom of our times -- Bronwen Maddox, Director and CEO, Chatham House By exploring how other countries are tackling seemingly insoluble problems, John Kampfner has provided an alternative to the politics of manufactured outrage. A thought-provoking and ultimately hopeful read, full of real ideas that could make Britain a better place. -- Lindsey Hilsum, International Editor Channel 4 News, and author of 'I Brought The War With Me' John Kampfner is a professional pessimist who has conquered his inner demons to find inspiring stories from all over the world that show how we really can turn things round in the UK. What's even better is that they are usually places that have faced even bigger challenges than us. A must-read for Keir Starmer and anyone hoping to take over from him. -- The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt This remarkable book explores what works in the pursuit of solving the problems that lie at the heart of the public policy debate. From our ageing population to the challenges of our environment, it explains what has been done and, more importantly, how and why. A must read for anyone interested in how we tackle the problems of education, heath & social care, and homelessness. -- Catherine Ashton In an era of selfish, transactional, anxious politics we are grasping for hope. This book delivers it again and again and again. Many books describe the challenge. Kampfner takes it on. The fightback for reason, policy and wisdom starts here. -- Tom Fletcher, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator A fascinating, encouraging read, which widens the scope for new possibilities enormously. -- Harald Jaehner, international bestselling author of 'Aftermath' Seminal... A rallying cry for radical, pragmatic optimism; democratic and institutional courage. -- Shashi Tharoor, author of 'Inglorious Empire' Ministers and officials - read this book! -- Anthony SeldonMore details
Edition
Export/Airside
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 232 mm
Width: 153 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
492 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80546-251-4 (9781805462514)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
JOHN KAMPFNER is an award-winning author, broadcaster, foreign-affairs commentator and conference speaker. He began his career reporting from East Berlin (during the fall of the Wall) and Moscow (during the collapse of communism) for the Telegraph. After covering British politics for the FT and BBC, he edited the New Statesman. He has been Chair of several organizations. He is a regular TV and radio pundit, documentary maker and author of seven previous books, including the bestselling Blair's Wars. Why the Germans Do it Better, published in 2020 was a Top 10 bestseller and Book of the Year in the Guardian, Economist and New Statesman, and sold over 150,000 copies in all editions. His most recent book, In Search of Berlin, was longlisted for the Ondaatje Prize.
Content
Introduction: Introduction 1: Who will look after me when I'm old? Japan 2: What will my community look like? Canada 3: Where are we all going to live? Vienna 4: What should we be teaching our children? Finland 5: What happens if I get sick? Taiwan 6: How do we save the world - and grow? Costa Rica 7: How do we keep the lights on? Morocco 8: How can tech make the world fairer? India 9: How do I get the state to serve me? Estonia Epilogue: How do we create a braver new world? Timisoara