Interesting Questions in Futures Studies & Foresight

The following is an ongoing list of questions that I bump into in my work in futures studies and foresight. An alternative view of this list would be as a collection of suggestions for topics of master’s theses that I hope someone who studies something with futures would pick up.

• Why is futures work so often ignored, and how can it become more effective? (especially in the European context)
• Psychology vs. sociology in futures studies and/or foresight
• How to better transition from foresight work to strategy? What comes after the report?
• What exactly are Preferred Futures? What are they describing? What is their role in foresight work? What is the best way to create them?
• What is a proper theory of the future for futures studies and foresight? What are its components?
• What would a field of futures studies look like that isn’t a descendant of the military?
• In a complex world, it gets harder and harder to distinguish between the different categories of STEEPL. Most signals or trends fall into more than one. What could an adapted or alternative model look like?
• …

Let me know if you have recommendations for possible answers (like articles or other publications) or want to discuss a question.