Our work on Economy
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Peace Literacy, Peace Politics and Scotland’s Future
Professor Alice König, University of St Andrews This blog discusses the world-building nature of conflict storytelling. At present, war stories vastly outnumber peace stories in the media we consume. This has consequences for our ‘peace literacy’, which in turn impacts our ability to build and maintain peace. The blog argues that greater investment in peace…
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Event Recap: Infrastructures of Wellbeing
On 23 March 2026, Scotland’s Futures Forum partnered with the Scottish Futures Trust, Social Impact Scotland and The Innovation Unit to explore what a prevention first Scotland would look like for the nation’s wellbeing, as well as how it might be achieved. The session, hosted in the Scottish Parliament, brought together stakeholders working across health,…
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Collapse: an introduction
A colleague recently reminded me that to know our future, we must first understand our past, so I’ll start with the Earth system, out of which we evolved. This astonishing collection of matter and energy self-assembled into the wondrous place we inhabit today. Generally, things that self-assemble into interdependent systems, evolve in response to each…
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Festival of Politics 2025: In Conversation with Professor Danny Dorling
Watch Deputy Presiding Officer Liam McArthur MSP in conversation with Danny Dorling, Professor of Human Geography at the University of Oxford and the UK’s best-known social geographer. In his latest book, The Next Crisis, What We Think About the Future, Professor Dorling uses the most up-to-date research to redraw our assumptions about where our greatest threats come from and solutions that…
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Scotland’s Housing and Net Zero Conference
22 April 2024 Scotland aims to achieve ‘net zero’ by 2045, but the Scottish Government announced, in April, that the interim 2030 target is unreachable highlighting the significant challenges ahead. By bringing together MSPs and stakeholders from academia, private, public and third sectors, the conference provided a platform to discuss and strategise on the necessary…
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Scotland’s Land: One resource, many uses
This event in October 2023 explored how we can use our land to underpin food security, maintain sustainable communities, & meet climate & biodiversity targets
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Alternative approaches to economic development in Scotland
This blog by David Waite, Richard Crisp and Anne Green reflects on different ideas of economic change and where they’ve come from.
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AI and Education: A free-market future?
With AI growing in importance throughout our lives, this blog explores a free-market future for education and schools. It accompanies our event report: “AI and Education with the Goodison Group”
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A Fair and Sustainable Scotland: How fair is fair?
This panel discussion in October 2023 explored how fair Scotland is as a country. Complete equality of outcome is impossible – so what does success look like?
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Tackling 21st Century Inequality
What can be done to tackle the giants of 21st century poverty? This seminar in August 2023 with the David Hume Institute and Professor Danny Dorling explored whether Scotland is providing some answers.
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Scotland’s poverty problem
If all political parties in Scotland are committed to tackling poverty, why has more progress not been made? This Festival of Politics debate in August 2023 explored Scotland’s poverty problem.
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It’s the economy, stupid
Post-pandemic and in a cost-of-living crisis, how can new economic ideas help us shape the future? This Festival of Politics debate in August 2023 explored how our economy could and should work.
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Economic Transformation: Making a good living?
With Scotland facing the challenges of a climate emergency and rising inequality, this seminar in June 2023 explored business purpose and making a good living.
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Artificial Intelligence and Skills
Blog in May 2023 by Robbie Scarff on Artificial Intelligence and Skills: what impact will AI have on what it means to be a worker?
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Economic Transformation: A Just Transition?
With Scotland facing the challenges of a climate and ecological emergency, rising inequality and an ageing population, this seminar in April 2023 explored the idea of a just transition.
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Economic Transformation: A Wellbeing Economy?
With Scotland facing the challenges of a climate and ecological emergency, rising inequality and an ageing population, this seminar in February 2023 explored the idea of a wellbeing economy