The paper presents recent insights from the ongoing FORLEARN project , which aims to develop Foresight theory and practise by supporting the sharing of experience (¿mutual learning¿) in Europe. Six functions of Foresight for policy-making are elaborated on: 1. Informing policy: generating insights regarding the dynamics of change, future challenges and options, along with new ideas, and transmitting them to policy-makers as an input to policy conceptualisation and design. 2. Facilitating policy implementation: enhancing the capacity for change within a given policy field by building a common awareness of the current situation and future challenges, as well as new networks and visions amongst stakeholders. 3. Embedding participation in policy-making: facilitating the participation of civil society in the policy-making process, thereby improving its transparency and legitimacy. 4. Supporting policy definition: jointly translating outcomes from the collective process into specific options for policy definition and implementation. 5. Reconfiguring the policy system: in a way that makes it more apt to address long-term challenges. 6. Symbolic function: indicating to the public that policy is based on rational information. The relationship between these functions and the tensions that can arise when a Foresight exercise attempts to address more than one function are discussed. Possible approaches for Foresight practice to better achieve the targeted impact on policy-making are outlined and emerging guidelines for improving Foresight practice are presented.

DA COSTA Olivier;  WARNKE Philine;  CAGNIN Cristiano;  SCAPOLO Fabiana; 

2009-01-29

ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

JRC43577

0953-7325,   

http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t713447357,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC43577,   

10.1080/09537320802000146,