Futures for Civil Society Lenka Setkova Carnegie UK Trust

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Futures for Civil Society Lenka Setkova
Carnegie UK Trust
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Goals of Inquiry

• Explore possible threats and opportunities for
  civil society
• Identify how policy and practice can be enhanced
  so civil society is strengthened
• Improve ability of civil society associations to
  prepare for future challenges and opportunities

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What is Civil Society?

• Associational life
• The good society
• Arenas for public deliberation
• Civil society a goal to aim for, a means to
  achieve it and a framework for engaging with each
  other about ends and means

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Uncertain drivers of change

• Personal values
• Rising individualism
• Cultural and religious diversity
• Shifting identities
• Fluid working patterns
• Rise of the well-being agenda

• Limits of economics
• Growing socio-economic inequalities
• Pressure on global resources
• Response to climate change
• Corporate power

• Shifting activism
• Disengagement from formal politics
• Single issue politics
• Pervasive technology
• Rise of digital natives

• State and individual
• Visibility of security state
• Regulation of civic life
• Increasing importance of rights agenda

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Fault-lines

• The challenge of sustainability
• Growing isolation of the poorest
• Social cohesion under pressure
• Shifting activism and increasing obstacles to
  engaging with civil society
• Traditional political engagement on the wane
• Application of technology
• Voluntary and community organisations lose their
  distinctiveness
• Diminishing arenas for public deliberation
• Marginalisation of dissent

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Scenarios for civil society
Local life
Diversity wars
Athenian voices
Global compact
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What next for the Inquiry?

• Civil society, social justice and climate change
• Civil society and the financial industry
• Civil society and media
• Civil society and deliberative processes
• Marginalisation of dissent

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What does this mean for leadership?

• Futures thinking longer term horizons
• Strategic frameworks to allow for uncertainty
  not predictions
• Looking up and connecting with the bigger picture
  recognising interdependence
• Collective action reduced silos
• Resilience
• Ambitious windows of opportunity