Draft:Institute for Futures Studies

The Institute for Futures Studies (IFFS, Institutet för framtidsstudier) is a Swedish research institute founded in 1973 as a Swedish government secretariat, and made independent in 1987. The institute conducts policy-relevant, inter-disciplinary research on critical future-related issues and contributes to the public discourse through its seminars and publications.

Activities

The Institute for Futures Studies has as its core mission futures research, the promotion of long term perspectives in scientific research and the management and development of theory and methodology within the field of futures studies. In addition, the Institute promotes and stimulates public discussion on future possibilities and risks in the development of society, and informs decision makers on the same topic.

IFFS is partly financially supported by a direct grant from the Swedish Department of Education, but mostly by external research funding.

Research

The research at the Institute is conducted under overarching research programs that are proposed by the director and approved of by the board. The current research program is called "Humanity's Path Forward - Democracy, Technology, Society and Future Generations" and is the creation of Gustaf Arrhenius. The research program is structured around four overlapping themes:

1. Future generations;
2. The problems and opportunities of democracy;
3. The impact of new technologies on society;
4. The socially sustainable society.

All themes are interdisciplinary and involve researchers from a range of disciplines in the social sciences and humanities, including philosophy, political science, sociology, economics, business administration, demography, psychology, law, history, mathematics, environmental science, computer science, developmental biology and artistic research. The aim is to use both theory and empirically oriented research to produce results that are relevant to policy making.

Miscellaneous

The global research network World Values Survey has its legal seat at the Institute for Futures Studies.

Organization

The Institute for Futures Studies is based in Stockholm, Sweden.

The number of people working at the Institute has fluctuated over the years. In 2023 there were 96 employees, out of which 81 were researchers. Many of the researchers are recruited from abroad and are also often linked to Swedish and foreign universities.

Board and management

The Institute's nine board members are appointed by the Swedish government, and are recruited from different sectors of Swedish society. As of November 1, 2014, professor of Practical Philosophy Gustaf Arrhenius is the executive director of the Institute.

History

In the 1960s, an increased awareness of environmental degradation and overpopulation led to a surging interest in the field of futures studies. In 1972 the government's working group for futures research, headed by Alva Myrdal, published the official report Att välja framtid: ett underlag för diskussion och överväganden om framtidsstudier i Sverige ("To choose a future: a basis for discussion and deliberations on futures studies in Sweden"). As a result of this work the government chose to set up the Secretariat for Futures Studies, which was initially directly subordinate to the ministerial cabinet.

In 1973 the mathematician Lars Ingelstam was appointed to head the organization. The foci of his research program were the work life of the future, energy supply, natural resources and economic growth, as well as Sweden's position on the world stage.

In 1980 the Secretariat for Futures Studies was reconstituted as a unit within the Swedish Research Council, and the professor of architecture Olof Eriksson was appointed as the new head of the Secretariat. The new research program focused on the difficulties of Sweden's municipalities and rural areas, as well as impending future care- and healthcare needs and moral shifts in Swedish society.

In 1987 the government decided to reorganize the Secretariat as an independent foundation, and thus the Institute for Futures Studies was established. Åke E. Andersson, professor of regional economics, became the executive director. Research was concentrated on the 'K-society', where K stands for communications (kommunikation), knowledge (kunskap), art (konst) and creativity (kreativitet).

In 1999, economic historian Lena Sommestad was appointed executive director. Her research program, "Man in the Future", focused on the demographic change towards a society where an ever-increasing share of the population is elderly.

In 2002, sociologist Joakim Palme took over as executive director. He led the research program "Man in the Future" until 2005, after which he laid out the program "Society of the Future". This program covered five areas: citizenship and the transformation of welfare institutions, marginalization processes and childhood conditions, regional change, demography-based future studies, and economic development and distribution in an ageing society. Between 2009 and 2011, research was conducted in his "Sweden in the Future" program.

In 2012, sociologist Peter Hedström was appointed as executive director. The research program "Social change in the 21st century" included studies of value changes and value conflicts, demography and economics, segregation and integration, and the development of methodology within futures studies. Hedström led the Institute until August 2014 when he moved to the Institute for Analytical Sociology at Linköping University.

In 2014, the philosopher Gustaf Arrhenius was appointed as executive director. In 2015, he laid out the research program "Which future? Challenges and Choices in the 21st Century", which lasted until 2020. The research program for 2021-2026 is called "Humanity's Path Forward - Democracy, Technology, Society and Future Generations".

Leadership

Heads of the Secretariat for Futures Studies

• 1973–1980: Lars Ingelstam
• 1980–1987: Olof Eriksson

Directors of the Institute for Futures Studies

• 1987–1999: Åke E. Andersson
• 1999–2002: Lena Sommestad
• 2002–2012: Joakim Palme
• 2012–2014: Peter Hedström
• 2014–: Gustaf Arrhenius

See also

• World Values Survery (WVS)

External links

• Official website