In a recent issue of Futuribles , authors from the European Commission’s Forward Studies Unit outlined five scenarios for Europe 2010. The scenarios were constructed using the so‐called “shaping actors, shaping factors” method, claimed by the authors as specific to their unit. In this...

This article considers the European agricultural battlefield where farmers face the problem of new challenges to the environment and food safety which only add to the problems of productivity or competitiveness. Logical agriculture (or integrated farming) seeks to reconcile economic...

Tempting as it is to be deterministic about world trade, Western economies are facing a number of new challenges. The collapse of hi‐tech stocks has prompted a re‐evaluation of the new economy, yet traditional economic models no longer offer reliable predictions for the future. New...

The development of any region or territory stems from its own dynamic nature. Economic activity and employment are stimulated by the number of local initiatives plus the cross‐fertilisation of those same initiatives. Globalisation, external constraints and technological change are therefore...

Purpose – This article aims to treat contemporary economic development from a regional and European perspective. Design/methodology/approach – The article applies a French prospective (foresight) approach to the issues of employment, decentralization, and privatization as an antidote to the...

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the links between demographics and economics and to show how European institutions (like the European Commission) and European policies are slowly but surely taking into account these fundamental relations. Design/methodology/approach – The paper...

Purpose – The paper aims to query the value of strategies implemented, notably in France, and to demonstrate the largely ignored link between demographics and economics. Design/methodology/approach – The paper achieves its objective by comparing statistics of European Union (EU) members and...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to respond to Richard Slaughter's essay on “Is America the ‘land of the future’?” Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on a variety of literature and the authors' opinions to present the case in favour of Enlightenment values. Findings...