Latest content
Our latest updates, thoughts, and events — as they roll out.
The Nordic think tank Demos Helsinki is hosting the Smart Retro Meetup in Stockholm to celebrate sustainable service infrastructure. We’ll meet and connect with leaders and innovators from the built sector and beyond.
→ Continue reading
The leading European innovation think tank Demos Helsinki is at South by Southwest* (SXSW) this weekend looking for friends. Demos Helsinki operates in Finland and Sweden and is known for its ability to turn future trends and innovations that drive social change. Both a think tank and an incubator for…
→ Continue reading
The Demos Helsinki –led startup incubator Peloton Club will be present at Slush, the biggest startup event in Northern Europe, on the 13th-14th of November at the Helsinki Cable Factory. Along with Peloton Club, Slush draws a dozen young startups that are to introduce themselves on Thursday the 14th in…
→ Continue reading
The European Democracy Shield is a timely and commendable initiative aimed at addressing the EU’s growing democratic challenges. However, it would benefit from a more human-centered approach focusing on citizen participation, civil society engagement, and more nuanced policies on digital regulation.
→ Continue reading
This report shares how young people aged 14-19 helped shape Scotland’s Horizon Scanning through a participatory foresight process co-designed with Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament. It reveals insights on young people’s perspectives on topics such as climate, technology, democracy, and society more broadly, and shows how engaging them meaningfully can strengthen anticipatory governance. The methodology offers learnings and tools for governments seeking to embed long-term thinking into policy, and build trust and momentum towards shared large-scale goals.
→ Continue reading
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.
→ Continue reading
Sorry, there are currently no upcoming events. Please follow us to get the latest updates!
Europe’s democratic resilience requires introspection, clear-sightedness and reimagination
September 16, 2025
The European Democracy Shield (EUDS) is being prepared to bolster the continent’s democratic resilience. If it isn’t to become one of innumerable democracy initiatives, EU institutions need to be clear-sighted about the causes and stakes of our present moment.
→ Continue reading
Imaginaries on Sustainability Transformation – Report outlines three positive futures
May 19, 2025
Imagining futures where society has successfully undergone a sustainability transformation helps us envision a world in which today’s major negative trends have been brought under control. But what kind of positive futures have been proposed in recent years? At the request of the Finnish Expert Panel for Sustainable Development, Demos Helsinki conducted a literature review and drafted three preliminary visions of such futures.
→ Continue reading
The anticipatory policy cycle: not just preparing for the future, but influencing it
May 14, 2025
Governments that invest in foresight-driven policymaking are better positioned to shape the conditions that they operate in. This is how to build policies that both anticipate and influence the future.
→ Continue reading