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Join us for an interactive deep-dive learning experience on imagining, structuring, organising and mobilising for long-term & systemic societal change. Hosted by Transition Collective in partnership with TIAL and Demos Helsinki.
When and where?
- Copenhagen, June 23rd to June 24th, 2026 – preceded by an introductory webinar
- Venue: Thoravej 29, 2400 Copenhagen NV, Denmark
The Master Class is held in partnership and conjunction with the Organising for Uncertain Worlds global conference, held at Thoravej 29, Copenhagen on June 25-26, 2026
Institutions matter
We live in a world where public institutions we have come to take for granted, such as public services, defense and health care, are being challenged and even breaking down. Global challenges, including the multiple environmental crises, election insecurity, forced migration and uncertain futures of AI, are resulting in decreasing trust towards public institutions, polarisation, and the known approaches becoming outdated. We need to develop new approaches for increasing wisdom in decision-making, aligning our actions today with goals in the long term and finding ways to penetrate and bridge across siloed organisations. This is where institutions become relevant – perhaps more than ever.
This Master Class brings together the thinking in institutional architecture with cutting-edge approaches from public design, systems change, mission-oriented innovation, and other transition methodologies in a comprehensive, interactive learning process.
By participating, you will achieve the following learning outcomes:
- Recognise the impetus to build and govern societal institutions differently under complexity and crisis
- Learn to imagine and design new institutional forms and governance arrangements—temporary authorities, adaptive regulators—instead of stretching old mandates, convincing other alternatives
- Insight into the basics of mission-led approaches to societal change
- Change in perspective to enable work with deep & sustainable change.
High-level program
Day 1: Tuesday, 23rd June
- 17.00 to 22.00: Arrival – introduction, networking, inspirational talks, dinner & drinks
Day 2: Wednesday, 24th June
- 08.00 Arrival & coffees
- 08.30 Welcome & introductions
- 09.00 Global insights: Why redesign institutions for change?
- 11.00 Unpacking global cases and peer-to-peer learning
- 12.00 Lunch
- 12.45 Inspirational local guest speaker: A voice from the place
- 13.45 Reimagining institutions for change: Co-creative case work on:
- Strategic imagination
- Missions & mobilization
- Institutional architecture
- 16.30 Reflections and peer-to-peer sharing
- 17.00 End session and segway to the global conference
The Imaginary Crisis (and how we might quicken social and public imagination)
Publication
April 8, 2020
We find it easy to imagine apocalypse and disaster; or to imagine new generations of technology. But we find it much harder than in the past to imagine a better society a generation or more into the future. In this paper, Demos Helsinki Fellow Geoff Mulgan sets out thoughts on what, how, and who to
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Forms Matter – Demos Helsinki
Page
May 12, 2022
Forms matter Beyond organizations and other forms of collective action Foreword by Juha Leppänen The Tragedy of the Form Here is something we rarely talk about: the “form” in “transformation”. We pursue systemic change from forms designed for the industrial era. How can we transform societies if we don’t challenge…
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A time to build – shaping the next generation of public institutions
Post
December 19, 2024
We are pleased to announce that the UNDP's Istanbul Innovation Days (IID), taking place in March 2025, will focus on shaping the next generation of public institutions for a secure and prosperous world.
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Characteristics of a 21st Century Government
Publication
December 22, 2020
In this discussion paper, written together with Marcos Bonturi, former director of Public Governance at the OECD, Demos Helsinki shares the recent learnings in the field of public governance, identified four characteristics that describe a desirable future government, and presents inspirational governance innovation -cases from Finland, Brazil, Colombia and Serbia.
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Four blockchain experiments to transform the public sector
Post
July 12, 2021
Blockchain-based currencies were designed to be independent of public monetary institutions or states. Meanwhile, public organizations are investing a lot in utilizing blockchain-based technologies. Distributed ledger technology (DLT) is believed to have the potential to allow public services to improve effectiveness, reduce friction between agencies, reduce bureaucratic barriers, boost public engagement,…
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How do you change government from reactive to proactive?
Post
March 4, 2015
The Design for Government (DfG) course consists of 25 talented and committed students in multidisciplinary teams, addressing real-world problems set forth by the Finnish government. The kick-off seminar attracted 150 participants from nine different ministries and other institutions, to discuss why traditional decision-making needs new ways of doing things. The…
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Generative Shared Intelligence: A direction for governments in the uncertain environment of the late 2020s
Publication
September 16, 2024
The notion of a "polycrisis" has become a defining feature of contemporary governance, and traditional administrative methods are increasingly inadequate. In this publication, Professor Sir Geoff Mulgan's concept of "Generative Shared Intelligence" offers a model for addressing multidimensional problems in governance, emphasising the need for more flexible and collaborative structures designed for the sole purpose
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Governing with citizens: Embedding democratic innovations into societies
Publication
April 22, 2025
The answer isn’t less democracy, but more. New participatory and deliberative processes aimed at involving citizens in decision-making are gaining traction across Europe, but their long-term success depends on how well they are embedded into the public administration and society.
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The changing role of the state in the economy
Publication
April 26, 2023
In this publication, we suggest that the premises of our economies are in flux, requiring the state to take on a new role in governing the economy: the role of the orchestrator. An orchestrating state conducts its economic policy by closely working with its key stakeholders to achieve explicitly and democratically defined goals.
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