We imagine desirable futures (2): Democratic spring in Europe

December 2024

Recent discussions about the future often focus on what we fear rather than what we want. In early December, we launched a series of blog posts to explore possible avenues for positive - albeit realistic - future narratives. It is based on the belief that a broad dialogue about positive futures could act as a guide, inspiring openness to change and optimism for transitions that lead to a better world.

The second thought experiment explores a possible desirable future, centred on the idea of a democratic spring in Europe. It begins with a recognition of the challenges facing our society today and develops into a vision that may seem ambitious but is deeply rooted in shared values of democracy and diversity. A summary is in the body of the blog below, with the full version at the end.

Democratic spring in Europe (short version)

The thought experiment begins by considering some key assumptions about the future, followed by considering some possible outcomes.

There are a number of assumptions that set the framework for our future narrative. For this exercise, we have taken some of the key risk clusters discussed in an earlier blog post (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) as a starting point.

Drivers: The erosion of the European society.

The risk clusters that threaten European society include challenges such as declining well-being, democratic erosion and social divisions. Declining well-being is fed by economic uncertainty, pollution, health inequalities and climate stressors that undermine physical, mental and social health. At the same time, Europe also faces widening social and cultural divides that threaten cohesion and stability. Economic inequalities persist and the digital divide exacerbates barriers to opportunity, isolating vulnerable groups.