We have a joint responsibility around the world to act together to achieve sustainable global development. But while the information society can offer environmentally friendly lifestyles such as teleworking, it is also bringing a much larger proportion of the world population into the consumer...

At its best, futures research can change priorities and attitudes within organizations, and bring fresh meaning to the present. But its recommendations are not always politically convenient, and a much‐heralded report can be just as discreetly shelved. A key role for futurists is therefore to...

Global government is on the rise, and with it a devolution of power to the grassroots. Subjugating nature is out of fashion and ecological living is the new imperative. The next generation of leaders will emerge not from the political class but from ordinary communities, bringing with them new...

Megatrends are historical nexuses which gather and focus both obvious and subtle sub‐trends as a contribution to the history of future ideas. A substantive candidate of the twenty‐first century is “convergence”. That pursuit of “the unity of all knowledge” involves the integration,...

In this paper, some of the most important results of the recent work of the author’s Futures Observatory, the culmination of a decade of global research involving several thousand managers and professionals from large organisations, are explored in the context of the long‐range planning...

This paper presents and discusses the APEC Center for Technology Foresight’s experiences with its first five international foresight projects. The projects are described in some detail to illuminate the kinds of topics addressed, the rationale for their selection and the kinds of conclusions...

Although the mortgage sector of the banking industry in the USA has seen good times in the recent past, the futures are uncertain. This article considers the nature of futures studies and applies futures analysis to the mortgage sector. The history of banking, and the USA, has been a struggle...

This article presents a South African's perspective on the possible role of social capital in achieving long‐term sustainable human and economic development in the world. Social capital is defined as the presence of effective human networks and social cohesion, which are manifested in...

Although only a small percentage of the world's population has access to the Web, its influence over the world economy and society is very high. It is possible to imagine a completely different economy from the industrial one, but the potential of information and communications technology...