Latest content

Our latest updates, thoughts, and events — as they roll out.

All
  • All
  • AI
  • Business
  • Career opportinuty
  • Cities
  • Civil service
  • Construction
  • Democracy
  • Economy
  • Foresight
  • Health & Wellbeing
  • Industry & innovation
  • Justice
  • Public governance
  • Skills & work
  • Society
  • Sustainability & climate action
  • Sustainability governance
  • Technology

Finland, what is our promise for future generations? 

Foresight Friday 2025 brought together policymakers and global experts to discuss Finland’s long-term responsibilities to future generations and intergenerational fairness. The question remains open, and it belongs to all of us: what is our promise for future generations?


→ Continue reading

Initial comments on the European Commission’s Affordable Housing Plan

Housing must be made affordable while protecting the ecological systems on which we all depend. The EU could lead this transformation but it requires new ways of thinking about policy, governance, and action.


→ Continue reading

Doomed to grow or ready to transform?

Economic growth used to be a cause that had effects, and the desired and expected effects were a matter of political and public debate until the 1990s recession. The meanings and expectations towards growth changed over time, and the idea of economic growth evolved within the debates and the very varied perspectives to growth. Our report “Doomed to Grow” calls for acknowledging growth’s historical recent origins and past pluralism in how economic growth has been discussed.


→ Continue reading

Imagining change through science at Demos Helsinki Research Encounters

In Imagining Change Through Science – Demos Helsinki Research Encounters, we explored how science and research have shaped societal change.


→ Continue reading

16 Horizon projects later, our goal is the same

Demos Helsinki is currently involved in 14 Horizon Europe projects. From exploring the societal impacts of new technologies to tackling climate challenges, these projects reflect a growing demand for research that sparks systemic change. Discover how we are working across disciplines to shape fairer, more sustainable futures.


→ Continue reading

Demos Helsinki is part of three SRC-funded research projects on democracy and water security

These three research projects are: 1) Reducing polarisation via material participation (MaDem); 2) Coastal waters under pressure – safeguarding a healthy Gulf of Finland in a changing geopolitical and environmental landscape (CoWup); and 3) Safe Water for All (WaterFall).


→ Continue reading

Humble Government: How to Realize Ambitious Reforms Prudently

For the government to formulate policies that address the most pressing questions of the 21st century, it must first address the structural and cultural problems of its policy-making processes. The review ’Humble Government’ describes how a humble approach to policy-making can help the Government in building truly long-term policy-making when dealing with wicked problems.


→ Continue reading

21st Century Politics Require Governance Capable of Driving Transformation

The new book “Just Transitions” by the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank & International Monetary Fund aims to serve as a roadmap for the future. It has a chapter written by our Chief Executive Juha Leppänen, in which he makes a case for governance capable of driving transformation.


→ Continue reading

Steering through capability

Can a society be steered? Should governments even try to do that? Or should they just preside? In this paper, Demos Helsinki fellow, UCL professor and former Chief Executive of Nesta Geoff Mulgan shows why governments should steer and how they can show the way for our societies to overcome the transformational challenges that they are facing in the current century, from the climate crisis to aging populations.


→ Continue reading
All
  • All
  • AI
  • Business
  • Career opportinuty
  • Cities
  • Civil service
  • Construction
  • Democracy
  • Economy
  • Foresight
  • Health & Wellbeing
  • Industry & innovation
  • Justice
  • Public governance
  • Research
  • Skills & work
  • Society
  • Sustainability & climate action
  • Sustainability governance
  • Technology

Master class: Institutionalising for impact

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.


→ Continue reading