The Future of Political Life
Global politics are being affected by major armed conflicts, economic instability, erosion of democratic rights, growing persecution of political dissent, and widespread denials of existential global challenges such as climate change. We are witnessing the rise of populism, post-truth movements, growing inequalities, and a lack of trust in politics and political systems.
How can we understand the causes and consequences of this overwhelming uncertainty and volatility? What is being done to mitigate for its effects and address the different challenges that emerge in it?
What we do
Our research approaches the question of uncertainty, by exploring the complex range of practices and processes that make it today a condition that is closely interlinked with economic, cultural, and environmental challenges. It seeks to explore how we can re- imagine democracy for the 21st century and design democratic and deliberative systems that are suited to the challenges we currently face.
Our Projects
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Our research in Lebanon focusses on delivering inclusive and prosperous futures for communities impacted by mass displacement. Working with local communities, we explore how promoting and creating pathways for prosperity can improve people’s quality of life.
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A major initiative, in collaboration with Fast Forward, that aims to share long-term, sustainable ideas for rebuilding a Ukraine fit for the challenges of our planet’s future.
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Featured
Building Bridges for Ukraine: Sustainable Pathways to Prosperity
White Paper
This White Paper invites leading thinkers and academics to envisage the major challenges facing us in the reconstruction of Ukraine, and discuss innovative yet sustainable long-term solutions.
Why Imagination Matters: The Transformative Power of Social Imaginaries
Blog
This blog gives a striking example of how imagination is a profound force that shapes our social, political, and ecological realities.
Vitality in Work: Stories from Ras Beirut Lives and Livelihoods in Turbulent Times Working Paper Series (Vol.3)
This third paper in the Lives and Livelihoods in Turbulent Times series is a photo essay by Lara Sabra and Nessim Stevenson that tells the story of three Ras Beirut residents. It continues with the theme of crisis, but it brings to the foreground the acts of loving, living, and expressing one’s sense of self through work.