scholarly journals Futures studies in Finland

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erzsébet Nováky ◽  
Eszter Monda

The development of futures studies and the future-oriented attitude of Finnish institutions and the government can serve as great example for other countries. This attitude appears in education and economy, issues in which Finland is highly competitive in Europe. We introduce the futures studies-related organizations and the foresight system of Finland. An overview of the development of futures studies and the activities, purposes of foresight institutions, with a major emphasis on the Finland Futures Research Centre will be presented. The main question is how could other countries utilize the Finnish example? Societal changes depend on the environment and its historical background, making it quite a challenge to come up with an all-adaptable answer for this question. Thus we will only present guidelines and proposals regarding the development of strategy at the end of this paper.

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petri Tapio ◽  
Sirkka Heinonen

The purpose of this article is to review the futures studies activities performed in Finland, focusing especially on Finland Futures Research Centre (FFRC). The activities include research, education as well as societal interaction and networking. The FFRC has proceeded from a small unit of three devoted persons in 1992 to one of the key futures research institutes in Europe with about fifty staff members, hundreds of research and developmental projects, and more than a thousand publications. Although acknowledging the variety of futures studies topics and approaches nourished by the researchers, we conclude that facilitating expert-based and stakeholder-based futures studies processes is the key competence of the FFRC. Hybrid methods are continuously developed, meaning combinations of more specific techniques. A proper mix of tools and approaches to gather, analyze, organize, and interpret data is always searched for. At the end of the article, we present four scenarios of the future of the FFRC jointly made by the staff.


2001 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 51-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer M Gidley

This paper presents some ground-work for the development of a new theoretical approach which has the potential to contribute to primary prevention of suicide in adolescents by targetting hopelessness. Drawing on the extensive psychological literature which has linked hopelessness with depression and suicide risk for decades, the author notes that although there is a strong research and clinical base for targetting depression, there is a gap in the psychological literature when it comes to targetting hopelessness, specifically. Looking beyond the psychology field to the futures studies research field, the author draws links between the psychology research that does exist and the youth futures research which correlates rising youth suicide rates with growing fears and negativity of young people towards the future. Based on this new theoretical perspective, an intervention has been developed and is detailed here which attempts to reduce hopelessness in adolescents by promoting more positive images of the future.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 290-309
Author(s):  
Zaianddin Mawlood Khidhir ◽  
Rostovanyi Zsolt ◽  
Zubir Rasool Ahmed

The period after June 2014 has seen forces from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), an armed group, spread quickly across Iraq. This process has led to massive displacements in which affected over two million people. Indeed, the primary targets of ISIL have been religious and ethnic minorities. Some of these groups include Yazidis, Shabak, Kaka’i, and Christians. Also, ISIL has abducted or injured many people, with thousands also killed. Examples of adverse actions that the armed group has committed include severe human rights abuses such as the looting of property, the abduction of children, the destruction of places of worship, sexual enslavement, rape, forced conversion, and summary executions. Whereas the period before the insurgency group’s entry still witnessed minorities exist as a vulnerable group, the violence led by ISIL has threatened to eliminate them permanently from regions such as the Nineveh Plains, have lived in these areas for several centuries. The main question purpose of this paper is to examine the future status of minorities in post-ISIL Iraq? ISIL. I will argue that although ISIL had been defeated in Iraq, their impact will be critical on Iraqi Minorities Even after the demise of ISIL. Currently, informal settlements, abandoned buildings, and camps in which the displaced persons live reflect deteriorating humanitarian conditions. With international agencies experiencing limited resources and also the government failing to offer an effective response, most of the international displaced people (IDPs)[1] do not have enough shelter, health care, water, food, and other essential items. Indeed, most vulnerable groups include children and women. At a time when the majority are contemplating emigration out of Iraq, their survival in the immediate and far future rests upon collaboration among four groups that include the international community, the Iraqi government, Kurdish authorities, and minorities themselves. Some of the specific areas that need to be addressed include the asylum dilemma, reconciliation and restoration, preventing future abuses, legislation, and humanitarian issues.


foresight ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Asghar Pourezzat ◽  
Mohammad Hoseini Moghadam ◽  
Maryam Sani Ejlal ◽  
Ghazaleh Taheriattar

Purpose Through an examination of macro-historical studies on the governance of Iran, the purpose of this study is to identify the most significant and important events and trends in the rise and fall of Iranian governments and introduce alternative futures in a range of possible, plausible and preferable forms of future governance. To carry out a foresight study of alternative futures of Iranian governance, the authors used futures studies, based on the detection of the most critical driving forces, which are also the most important uncertainties. Futures studies as an interdisciplinary field of study help to identify the events and trends that affect political change and offer scenarios of four alternative futures for the governance of Iran: Smart and Stable Government, Authoritarian Development-oriented Government, Irrational Government and Irrational Breakable Government. The authors believe that Iran’s endeavors to promote democracy, taking the changing international trends into account, make a more trustworthy future for Iran both possible plausible. Design/methodology/approach Based on macro-history approach and by using “shared history”, future triangle and then scenario planning, the future of Governance in Iran has been analyzed. Findings Whenever the government has distanced itself from the public and has neglected the trend of international change, it has been faced with a period of collapse and annihilation. And whenever these two important factors are understood, the result is a trend of development and growth. Therefore, the most favored image of Iran’s future relies on the maintenance and promotion of public participation and on increasing attention to the sustainable realities of international relations. Originality/value The complexities of events and trends affecting the rise and fall of previous governments of Iran make it necessary to use an interdisciplinary approach to understand the events that have emerged or are emerging in its governance. In this study, from futures studies point of view, transformation of governance has been studied.


Author(s):  
Jennifer M. Gidley

A shining utopia or our worst fears realised – what does the future have in store for us? From the beginning of time, humans have been driven by both a fear of the unknown and a curiosity to know. We have always yearned to know what lies ahead, whether threat or safety, scarcity or abundance. Throughout human history, our forebears tried to create certainty in the unknown, by seeking to influence outcomes with sacrifices to gods, preparing for the unexpected with advice from oracles, and by reading the stars through astrology. As scientific methods improve and computer technology develops we become ever more confident of our capacity to predict and quantify the future by accumulating and interpreting patterns form the past, yet the truth is there is still no certainty to be had. In this Very Short Introduction Jennifer Gidley considers some of our most burning questions: What is "the future "? Is the future a time yet to come, or is it a utopian place? Does the future have a history? Is there only one future or are there many possible futures? She asks if the future can ever be truly predicted or if we create our own futures - both hoped for and feared - by our thoughts, feelings, and actions, and concludes by analysing how we can learn to study the future. Jennifer Gidley has extensive experience in the futures studies field, combining scholarly research, academic teaching, and leadership of the World Futures Studies Federation (UNESCO Partner). She was re-elected as President in 2013 for a second four-year term to lead 300 expert futures researchers, teachers and professional practitioners from over 60 countries. Jennifer has held academic positions in Australia at Southern Cross (1995-2001); Swinburne (2003-2006); and RMIT (2008-2012); and holds visiting academic posts in Europe. Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable. Publication Date: 23rd March 2017 | 9780198735281 | Paperback | £7.99  For more information about this title please contact Katie Stileman (E: [email protected], T: 01865 353344) 


Author(s):  
Zeferino Soares Lopes ◽  
Fredy Kurniawan ◽  
Julistyana Tistogondo

Public - Private Partnership (PPP) offers many potential benefits for the government in providing infrastructure facilities. However, the implementation of the Public Private Partnership project is not easy. Infrastructure Development is one of the development priorities in developed and developing countries, including Timor-Leste. As one of the priorities of national development, cost limitations are the main problem faced by the government. Therefore, to overcome the lack of funding, the government can involve the private sector in terms of providing funds to finance the construction of infrastructure facilities.The Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (RDTL) must have good regulations to achieve the goals of Timor-Leste in the future through cooperation between the government and the private sector. Good regulation is one of the best ways for good cooperation between the government and the private sector.In this study, the chosen location is the Tibar Bay Port in Timor-Leste. Based on the results of research that has been done, infrastructure development efforts do not have to rely on the Timor-Leste government as a single actor, the involvement of other parties such as the private sector is also needed for infrastructure development. The Government of Timor-Leste is fulfilling a big dream for the the future through the development of infrastructure in accordance with the strategic development plan for 2011-2030 to come, because the Government of Timor-Leste prepares a bright future for a country to become a developed country like other countries.


Author(s):  
فراس محمد إبراهيم ◽  
سعد عبد الله سعد ◽  
سكينة علي حسن

This study discusses the situations of education, labor and the use of technology in the Kingdom of Bahrain during the Corona pandemic and the precautionary measures taken by the Kingdom of Bahrain during this serious pandemic. The study started with a simple introduction of the Corona virus to show the historical background of this virus. The researchers collected the necessary data and statistics related to the subject of the research from trusted resources and they relied the results of the questionnaire to reach the best conclusions, as the questionnaire included some important questions related to the topic of research. The aim of this study is to come up with a complete vision about the Corona crisis that has gripped the whole world in a terrified way, and the study includes the precautionary measures and internal decisions taken by the government in the Kingdom of Bahrain related to the distance learning in various governmental and private educational institutions, as well as the status of labor in different Sectors. Research also focused on the impact of the use of technology in reducing the impact of the pandemic, and it was found that the results were identical or close to the researchers' expectation. This study showed the prompt interaction shown by the leadership of the Kingdom of Bahrain during the event, which tends to a positive impact on adaptation to continue education and labor stability in different sectors. It also showed that Bahrain possesses excellent technological infrastructure that helped to confront the crisis successfully.


2019 ◽  
pp. 38-48
Author(s):  
L.R. Khakimova ◽  
A.M. Lavina ◽  
L.R. Karimova ◽  
V.V. Fedyaev ◽  
An.Kh. Baymiev ◽  
...  

A Pseudomonas sp. 102 strain, which is highly resistant to toxic effects of cadmium and has plant growth-promoting activity, can significantly increase growth parameters and biomass of tomato plants, including those observed under toxic effects of cadmium. The greatest positive effect was observed in plants transformed with the bacterial adhesin gene rapA1, the product of which is important for colonization of plant roots by bacteria. It was also shown that shoots of transgenic tomato plants accumulated the greatest amount of cadmium during inoculation with Pseudomonas sp. 102. The ability to extract high concentrations of cadmium and accumulate a large biomass under stress opens up prospects for the further use of associative interactions between tomato and Pseudomonas for phytoremediation. phytoremediation, cadmium, tomato, Pseudomonas, inoculation, agglutinins, This study was carried out using the equipment of the Biomika Centre for Collective Use of the Institute of Biochemistry and Genetics (Ufa Federal Research Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences) as part of the government task (project no. AAAA-A16-1160203500284). This study was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project nos. 18-34-20004 and 18-34-00033) and 18-344-0033 mol_a_ved and 34-00033 mol_a).


2011 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 289-305
Author(s):  
Etienne Verhoeyen

Nadat Hitler in oktober 1939 beslist had een aanval in het Westen te ondernemen, werden in Keulen twee studiegroepen opgericht, die het toekomstig bezettingsregime van België en Nederland moesten voorbereiden. Er was een studiecommissie die geleid werd door de toekomstige leider van het Duits Militair Bestuur in België, Regierungspräsident Reeder, en daarnaast bestond een geheime studiegroep die de Sondergruppe Student werd genoemd. Deze bijdrage belicht het voorbereidend werk van de leden van deze studiegroep op het gebied van handel, industrie, recht, Volkstum en cultuur in België. De groep legde een grote belangstelling voor de Flamenfrage aan de dag en trok daarbij lessen uit de ervaringen met de bezetting van België tijdens de Eerste Wereldoorlog. Ofschoon er van diverse zijden in Duitsland werd op aangestuurd, hebben zowel de 'commissie Reeder' als de Sondergruppe de wederinvoering van de bestuurlijke scheiding van het Vlaams en Franstalig landsgedeelte, één van de 'verworvenheden' van het Vlaams activisme uit 1914-18, beslist afgewezen. De bijdrage laat ook de tegenstellingen zien die in Duitsland bestonden op het gebied van de beïnvloeding (ten voordele van Duitsland) in de te bezetten gebieden. ________ A German network in the preparation of the Militärverwaltung (Army administration) in Belgium (1939-1940)After Hitler had decided in October 1939 to carry out an attack on the West, two study groups were set up in Cologne in order to prepare the future occupational regime of Belgium and the Netherlands.  The future leader of the German Army Administration in Belgium, President of the Government Reeder chaired the study group, and in addition there was a secret study group called the Sondergruppe Student (Special Student Group).This contribution illuminates the preparatory work of the members of this study group in the area of trade, industry, law, Volkstum (nationality) and culture in Belgium. The group demonstrated a lot of interest in the Flamenfrage (Flemish question) and in doing so drew lessons from the experience of the occupation of Belgium during the First World War.Although people from various quarters in Germany aimed for the reintroduction of the governmental separation between  the Flemish and French speaking parts of the country, one of the 'achievements' of Flemish activism from the period of 1914-1918, both the 'Reeder committee' and the 'Sondergruppe' definitely dismissed it. This contribution also demonstrates the contradictions present in Germany in the area of influencing the territories to be occupied (in favour of Germany).


Author(s):  
Jenny Andersson

Alvin Toffler’s writings encapsulated many of the tensions of futurism: the way that futurology and futures studies oscillated between forms of utopianism and technocracy with global ambitions, and between new forms of activism, on the one hand, and emerging forms of consultancy and paid advice on the other. Paradoxically, in their desire to create new images of the future capable of providing exits from the status quo of the Cold War world, futurists reinvented the technologies of prediction that they had initially rejected, and put them at the basis of a new activity of futures advice. Consultancy was central to the field of futures studies from its inception. For futurists, consultancy was a form of militancy—a potentially world altering expertise that could bypass politics and also escaped the boring halls of academia.


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