Institutet för Framtidsstudier

The Institute's mission is the pursuit of futures studies and related activities with a view to stimulate a broad and open debate on future threats to and opportunities for social development. The first institute for futures studies, the Secretariat for Futures Studies functioned as a complement to the Prime Minister's Office. In 1980, the secretariat became a unit of the Swedish Council for Planning and Coordination of Research, and in 1987 its activities were reorganized into an independent research foundation. The Institute's current major research program is "Shaping the Future: Demography and Democracy in the 21st Century." This program builds on central elements of the Swedish tradition on futures studies, in particular the powerful connection between futures studies and democracy. The program embraces three themes: demography and social transformation; welfare, power, and citizenship; and the community in the global economy. In addition, the Institute supports research on theoretical and methodological issues relevant to Swedish and international futures studies.