Commentary
How to build trust in a world where tech giants are more powerful than governments?
Mark Zuckerberg is sorry. Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica scandal revealed tech’s biggest challenge: trust. Trust is known as a cornerstone of the Nordic welfare state. The levels of trust towards each other, politicians and government are higher in the Nordic countries than anywhere else.
Read More10 Years Later, Forerunner Businesses And Cities Transform The Lifestyles Of People
This week Demos Helsinki is attending Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) in San Francisco, California. This article is our contribution for the discussion on the future of global climate action, based on the work by Demos Helsinki over the course of the past decade. There has been a long debate…
Read MoreWhat do we talk about when we talk about strategic foresight
To make it simple, the role of strategic foresight should be as the informant, the source of knowledge, the basis for strategic planning and decision-making. After all, without incorporating any foresight to your decision-making, you will be making decisions that are only based on current conditions and as we all…
Read MoreSeven reasons why your company should do scenarios as part of strategic foresight
The aim of strategic foresight is to find insight in long-term trends that are observable and actionable today. The method to do this is the creation of alternative futures. There are two main tools to create alternative futures: future states, which are like “a photo taken from the future”, and…
Read MoreWhy your company needs strategic foresight and what will result out of it
The role of foresight should be as the basis for strategic planning and decision-making – it challenges the company to redefine its strategies to fit societal development better. It is important to remember that strategic foresight is not about predicting the future, which is inherently impossible. When we talk about…
Read MoreWhat can workplaces learn from early childhood education about learning? 5 tips from Finnish kindergarten teacher
In the report about the future of work for the Finnish Prime Minister’s office, we noticed that the most essential skill in the work life of the future is learning. It might even go further – work will become learning.
Read MoreFrom Measuring Research Impact to Maximising It
The way in which science and the rest of society interact with each other significantly moulds which direction our society progresses in. Once research funding better understands the non-linear nature of the social impact of research, this interaction can be greatly improved.
Read MoreHot Summer of Research and Innovation Policy – What’s Cooking in Brussels
Demos Helsinki travelled to Brussels in May to find out what are the current science policy trends and discussions related to universities’ role in the society. Here are our four picks on the discussions research institutions and science enthusiasts should follow. 1. What will the European moonshots be? The science…
Read MoreOne planet fits all? Sustainable innovations and urban transformations at #IST2018
Did you know that the atom was split for the first time in Manchester? The IST 2018 Conference reminds us of a long legacy in innovation culture that is to thank (or blame) for a great array of things from the submarine to modern vegetarianism. Even the first programmable computer…
Read MorePublic sector platforms: a promising way forward for societies
Less than 1% of workers are working in digital platforms, so why we talk so much about them? Because platforms illustrate the democratising impact of the change of work to the society and show the way forward towards a more inclusive, efficient society. Indeed, the discussion surrounding skills and…
Read MoreFight against corruption starts from communities, not from best practices
This week I took part in event in Berlin. The event was about conceptualizing a new operational model for a Norwegian anti-corruption lab U4. Something very interesting seems to be cooking in the field of anti-corruption. Anti-corruption field is struggling, as research shows that despite efforts, global corruption has not considerably…
Read MoreThe fall of the platform business model
The end of platforms as we have known them seems to be around the corner. This blog is the third (and last) chapter in our blog series “Rise and fall of the platform business”.
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