PRIMA FACIE We l c o m e to P r ov i d e n t i a ’s P r o s p e c t u s 2 0 1 9.
What? 2019 already! As we lurch towards the end of the second decade of the 21st Century, the rapid pace of change has many of us breathless trying to keep up, while some of us hunker down to do our future-watching with one-eye firmly fixed on the trends. If only we had the gaze of a dragon fly with their two extra-large compound eyes, each with thousands of lenses which give them near 360 degree vision of their environment and make them fierce hunters. That is what we ten women futurists attempt with Providentia’s Prospectus -- a dragonfly’s view on the world bearing in mind the Latin origins of Prospectus meaning outlook. We want to hunt down the signals that are emerging in our landscape in order to shape the future we want. And thus, given the more common interpretation of a prospectus as a document describing the major features of some venture in enough detail so that prospective investors, patrons, participants, or members may evaluate
it, and given Providentia’s role as the goddess of providence and an enabler of future abundance, we offer this document as a guidebook about some of the major features and attractions of the future landscape we will journey through in 2019. Nonetheless, we do actually have eyes in the back of our head, and thus value our 20-20 hindsight as a much-appreciated enabler of our long-view or 20/10 foresight. As a result, we have some interesting reflections of how our trend watching perspectives on 2018 turned out. By and large, there was the sense that much of what we women futurists were paying attention to evolved as expected with a moderate to high level of instability across all the trends we observed i.e. social, technological, economic, environmental and political, and well as some level of stability across health and demographic trends. However, there were some trends not on our radar at the beginning of 2018 that emerged as the year marched on. Providentia’s Prospectus 2019
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For example, the increase in brand ‘purpose washing’. Huh? For those of you who are new to the construct, as I was, ‘purpose washing’ is best understood as the new ‘greenwashing’. Ayelet Baron, who is based in Canada notes that purpose washing has become the new bandwagon for brands seeking customer acquisition and brand loyalty. Given her view that the challenges they attach themselves to are real and in need of a paradigm shift, she goes to say that, “It is not easy for people who are in transition and want to shift to a healthier world. The infrastructure is not there yet, and self-help ‘corporatized’ spirituality has become an $11B and growing industry, which is sad and tragic. No washing is required. Patricia Lustig found herself surprised by the falling levels of people living below the extreme poverty line. Was it just her? We do find a high decibel of noise about the gloom and doom about the state of the world. Yet the facts are life is better today that it has ever been for most people in the world. She notes that, “according to the UN there are under 1 Billion people living below the extreme poverty line today as a result of a steady decline over the last 20 years, and while this is something that needs to celebrated, the environmental consequences of more people living a ‘better’ life calibrated against Western standards and values needs to be thought through”. Another emerging trend observed by Jacqueline Weigel was the increasing evidence of AI simulating and copying humans. Yikes! In her words, “Apps and machines that create fake identities or clones like ‘Replika’, capable of falsifying messages and other things on your behalf (or not in my opinion). Terrible!” Some of
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us were not totally surprised since we called the rise of fake news in our 2018 report. But now must we really endure fake people as well? Signs of the times – the AI enabled Chinese news anchors. From Africa and Latin America – the reflections on the trends under observation in 2018 did not provide many surprises for the futuristas on watch in that part of the world. From Latin America, the view that there would be increasing depression globally, especially in women, panned out for Alethia Montero Baena who reflects from her base in Mexico. She states “depression has kept growing, even being the number one cause of disability worldwide. Besides the main reasons mentioned for being depressed in Mexico, there are new discoveries about specific Mexican gene associated to this mental illness. She further notes that it is also important to consider the influence of other health illnesses, such as diabetes and obesity on mental wellbeing. Baena notes that women rising trend continued unabated, as indeed more women were found to be expanding their horizons more and more, especially in the political sphere. Further she adds, that even in sports, we saw increased attempts to reinforce gender equality, enhance women’s development and empowerment, even as she cautions there is still a long way to go. Finally, on the political front, she reports that the trend towards increased apathy towards political elections in several Latin American countries continues to rise, citing Colombia, Venezuela, and a mixed result in Mexico where, despite a reduction of 23 percent abstentionism in the presidential elections, young people remained largely apathetic and absent from the ballot box.
From the point of view of the African continent Katindi Sivi Njonjo notes that the unemployment trend turned out as anticipated. No surprises there! The growing labor force in the continent in 2018, increased unemployment even when the economies grew faster than expected because of the lack of structural transformations needed to create more jobs. With respect to health she notes that the burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) continued to rise disproportionately in low-income and lower-middle-income countries like in Africa in 2018 where almost half (47%) of premature deaths occurred. Finally, as foreseen, Njonjo notes that there was a higher penetration of mobile phones to almost half of the entire population in the continent (44%), with high variations across regions. This further increased internet penetration in the continent in 2018 to almost one third of the population. And the sense of many Africa watchers that ICTs will fuels Africa Rising seems to be holding true. Back to politics in the West, Amy Fletcher notes that the resurgence of ‘hardline’ ideology has been fascinating to watch (if not to experience in my opinion). The roots of this date arguably to the 2008 global economic meltdown and include such surprises as the election of President Trump and the Brexit vote in 2016. The Western world seems to be entering a period of political volatility that has more in common with the 1930s or 1960s, than the 1990s. This volatility comes from the left and the right, with candidates like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez embracing socialist policies in the United States, while nationalist parties continue to gain support in much of Europe. Finally, Patricia Kelly from her perch ‘down under’ notes her surprise at the strength of the #MeToo movement. Is anyone else surprised? Or is it something we should have expected. What is more surprising to me is the re-emergence of the construct of ‘traditional masculinity as harmful and even pathological’ as per the American Psychological Association’s labeling. Not
surprisingly a controversy as erupted. But Kelly notes that “The courage of a few women has given courage to many, not just in the western world. It has shaken the complacency that seemed to have set in about gender equity, (members of the patriarchy assuming they were above the law) and has opened doors to questioning power at multiple levels. It has shown women that together we can bring about changes in attitudes and behaviors that will eventually benefit everyone”. And that is the crux of Providentia’s Prospectus, named after the goddess Providentia who in ancient Roman religion represented the divine personification of the ability to foresee and make provision. Though at one time she had full time priests devoted to her, she has no mythology except for that embodied in her Image as portrayed holding a caduceus, a globe and a cornucopia. If we can take a lesson from her, we might agree that as Ayelet Baron puts it “there is so much hope for each of us to regain our power and find the others who want to build healthier lives and systems. No washing is required”. By reporting on the trends we are watching this year, we are setting the stage for a public conversation on the future we women want to see. More specifically, we are commenting also on the future that we as humans, who happen also to be women, want. More than ever, our global society needs healthy, balanced perspectives on the future of this planet made more visible. We pay attention to what matters. These 30 trends matter if a cornucopia of wellbeing is what we want to hold out for. I am sure Providentia would smile upon review of the thirty seeds of the future we focus on in this 2019 prospectus. And yes, in this case, there is no purpose washing is required.
Dr. Claire A. Nelson Leading Futurista, The Futures Forum
Providentia’s Prospectus 2019
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THE TOP 30 TRENDS
SOCIAL
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INCREASING NUMBER OF CONSCIOUS ORGANIZATIONS WITH LEADERS THAT CARE ABOUT HUMANITY AND THE PLANET
An increasing number of companies have leaders that have a higher purpose to serve that is clear and simple, and they have structures in place to support this vision. Our world is at a very untenable spot and it’s time to stop paying lip service to the human side of the business. Purpose-washing and the happiness bandwagon have been huge indicators of what some current leaders are hiding and why we need more conscious 21st century leaders. Change will not come from the top. It will emerge from people who start saying no to the current status quo and create healthy systems with shared intention for change to affect the common good.
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DISCUSSIONS AROUND DIGITAL ETHICS WILL INCREASE
We have to question the advancement of technology and how it impacts the integrity of human society. What we can, what we really want for our futures. What is the limit of the use of technologies and how can we advance without giving up our essence and what are the illusions or colonizations that digital giants propose and why so few leaders and organizations deciding the future of the world?
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INCREASING DIVERGENCE IN INTERGENERATIONAL VALUES WITH RESPECT TO PARTICIPATION IN SOCIETY
Generational differences remain significant and grow in all parts of the globe. The higher propensity of the older population to vote over youth populations gradually increasing fractures in democratic processes. The generation born between about 1965 and 1980 (Gen X) was the first globalized generation and behaves in a qualitatively different manner from previous generations, in terms of use of digital technologies. However, millennials and Gen Z are digital natives have a more relaxed attitude to use of cyber space and sharing cyber information compared with previous generations. These differences do provide some new opportunities such as design digital systems that can engage with Millennials’ desire to change and do good in the world given the fact that they tend to value experiences over acquisition of “stuff”.
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INCREASING SOCIAL PROTESTS AND EMPOWERMENT MOVEMENTS WITH MORE FREQUENT STREET MOBILIZATION
There are increasing street protests for a wide variety of issues ranging from demands for addressing the need to fix potholes to the need to act for the preservation of the planet. Street protests also increase as a result of social trauma such as increased crime and violence and forced migration.
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INCREASING MIGRATION AND URBANIZATION
Increasing migration between countries and from rural to urban areas will be a force as people continue to flee bad situations and/or move to seek out “better life” somewhere else. In urban areas the impact of changes in demographics and new social structures is felt most. On the one hand it increases diversity of urban areas feed creativity and innovation; helping countries with aging populations care for the elderly, ill and young. On the other hand, increasing tensions between ‘natives’ and ‘immigrants’ continue to exacerbate racial and ethnic tensions and fuel the rise of conservative political leaders. Providentia’s Prospectus 2019
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THE TOP 30 TRENDS
HEALTH
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INCREASING INEQUITIES IN ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE
Access to adequate health care remains grossly unequal between the first and developing worlds and within and between populations. While it is considered that Universal health care should be a right, not a privilege, this is not the case in many countries. Many people live in increasingly obesogenic societies in the developed world, encouraged to consume ever more sugar and fat by industries whose profits depend on it and growing middle classes in developing countries are adopting similar lifestyles leading to consequences that affect the rising demand of health care services that may not be readily available.
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INCREASING $ GROWTH IN THE WELLNESS INDUSTRY
Owing of rising global interests in sustainability of the planet, fighting against obesity, and improving physical and emotional health, and popular craze for beauty and sports fitness, the wellness industry will continue to experience an increase globally, but especially in Latin America where it will rise significantly in Latin America with Mexico remaining in first place in this industry in the Latin American region.
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INCREASING HEALTH CHALLENGES IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Alongside the devastating effects of non-communicable diseases that are on the rise, Sub-Saharan Africa in 2019 will experience a rise in communicable diseases particularly HIV/AIDs. Despite the continent making the most progress by cutting the rate of new infections by 30% in the past seven years, new infections are beginning to rise particularly among adolescent girls and young women aged 15-24 who right now account for 25% of new HIV infections. Harmful gender norms and inequalities, multiple partnerships mainly with older men, insufficient protection during intercourse, insufficient access to education and provision of sexual and reproductive health services, poverty, food insecurity and violence, are at the root of the increase.
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INCREASE IN INDIVIDUALISM AND FEELINGS OF ISOLATION
The growing number of people living alone or with friends is increasing their consumption and market share, which is leading to an expansion of the middle class and a growing notion of individualism. The increasing trend towards individual and non-family goals is leading to a social crisis as support for the most vulnerable groups is reduced. In Latin America, both people living alone and non-nuclear families are also gaining ground to the nuclear family.
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GAINS IN THE IMPORTANCE OF LOW-TECH BREAKTHROUGHS IN HEALTH CARE MANAGEMENT
This year we will recognize the value of low-tech innovation to save money, increase productivity, and even save lives. Recently, the medical establishment has learned that positive emotions can help cancer; we have also just seen the relationship between sugar consumption and increased frailty in people over 60. And in the past few years, we have also learned the value of making lists. Innovation does not have to involve sophisticated technology or electronics. We see a new field emerging that will capitalize on what we already have to help humans live less stressful and more productive lives. Providentia’s Prospectus 2019
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THE TOP 30 TRENDS
TECHNOLOGICAL
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INCREASING INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY AS A RESOURCE TO CONNECT PEOPLE FOR BORDERLESS UNIFIED COLLABORATION AND SOCIAL ACTIVISM
Increasing use of communications technologies such as Video Chat rooms for creating global communities that unify people around common vision and action. This era or organizing is one of asking questions and bringing people together in communities of practice and activist collectives that apply technology to facilitate their foundation and evolution.
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INCREASING ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL COMPETITION IN SPACE
We are experiencing a resurgent interest in space exploration, at both the nation-state level (e.g., the United States, China) and among private sector actors such as Jeff Bezos/Blue Origin and Elon Musk/SpaceX. Space exploration inspires not only human ingenuity and imagination, but is also viewed as key to finding new resources and (possibly) new frontiers for human development. New entrants such as New Zealand/Rocket Lab hope to prosper by offering needed commercial services, while national Governments hope to harness the power of science, technology and engineering. The new space era could foster either global cooperation or a dangerous new “space Cold war.”
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INCREASED MAINSTREAM INTEREST IN CRYPTOCURRENCIES
Cryptocurrencies (such as Bitcoin) experienced a volatile 2018. On the one hand, cryptocurrencies could democratize the financial system and provide a workable solution to a variety of security and access problems. Cryptocurrency also is one of the break-through “killer apps” of the blockchain revolution one that could reach average citizens on a daily basis. However, national regulators have good reason to fear cryptocurrencies, as they potentially undermine stable financial systems and provide deep cover for illicit activities such as money laundering and the drug trade. It will be interesting to see if cryptocurrency can survive the hype cycle and backlash.
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ACCELERATION OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE WORKPLACE AND SOCIETY OWING TO INCREASING NUMBER OF MILLENNIALS IN THE WORKFORCE
Some say 50 percent of the workforce will be millennial by 2020 in some countries and by 2025, in several countries. Given the shift in need for all enterprises including small and medium enterprises to take advantage of the digital tools, the increasing participation of millennials in the workforce who are digital natives and more familiar and adept at using these technologies, will contribute to accelerating digital transformation of the work place.
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INCREASING AUTOMATION WHICH WILL INCREASE WORKFORCE SHORTAGES
We are already seeing the elimination of admin positions and other jobs that may be replaced by chatbots. As Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes smarter, we expect to see the elimination of many more customer service positions. We already have bots that take the place of schedulers and information centers; we also have digital therapeutics that can take the place of talk therapists delivering cognitive behavioral therapy. It won’t be long now before some degreed professionals will be replaced by software and robots. However, the bottom line is that many of the most critical positions that companies are unable to fill are in leadership, and it will be decades before we can replace leaders with automation. Providentia’s Prospectus 2019
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THE TOP 30 TRENDS
ENVIRONMENTAL
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THE INCREASINGLY SEVERE IMPACTS OF GLOBAL WARMING/ CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change is already impacting on most countries due to long-predicted weather extremes, cold and heat, drought, floods, snow storms etc. Despite overwhelming scientific evidence, governments such as those of Australia and the US continue to support industries and actions which they know are contributing to runaway climate change. We need to use all the ‘tools in the toolbox’ to effect the necessary changes, i.e. regulation, education and financial incentives and disincentives. If the leaders will not lead, the people must, by making their voices heard and insisting that the leaders take action.
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RISING DEMAND OF LAWS, POLICIES AND REGULATIONS REQUIRING RECYCLABLE MATERIALS GLOBALLY
The increasing attention to ocean related disasters fuel demand for recyclable materials in order to address the garbage and pollution threatening the oceans and marine life. With plastics leading the way, there are more and more citizens are demanding and ensuring that laws and regulations passed around the world banning non-biodegradable materials beyond plastics and as such more and more companies are voluntarily leading the way.
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INCREASING DEMAND FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS EVEN AS MORE OIL HITS THE MARKET
With a new and competitive demand scenario for renewable energy systems, and more oil available on the world market, traditional oil companies cannot keep up with previously profiled earnings. The need for business transformation requires the conquest of new markets, new ways of doing business and a new race for survival for the traditional /legacy fuel corporations around the world, and we see them continuing to invest in green and renewable energy technologies as a result of customer demand.
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DECREASING LEVEL OF TRUST IN INSTITUTIONS DECREASING CULTURAL ASPIRATIONS OF GLOBAL WELLBEING
Our environment depends on healthy people making healthy decisions for the planet. We are not doing a very good job right now living in a fast food culture where people and things are disposable. We need to make conscious choices about the people and organizations we trust. Yet trust in mainstream institutions, i.e. the church, the media, the government, the police, private companies and non-profits seem to be at an all-time low around the globe. A culture of mistrust in the information we receive could dampen the cultural shift to a more clean green future. This era therefore requires re-imagining and re-building trust since one sure path to a healthy future is to hold ourselves and each other accountable. The critical currencies of this century are trusted relationships that bring about unified community of co-creators. It’s time for integration around what we are trying to do to create a thriving future rather than “look at me” and a dying competitive model that serves no one.
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INCREASING USE OF AI TECHNOLOGY FOR WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Water stress becomes more evident across cities and water availability remains volatile for many countries around the world. Access to satellite technology has more ubiquitous and affordable for countries around the world thus water utilities are now increasing use of AI and data-driven technologies that allow them to get previously-unattainable information about water supply and demand, and empowering water managers and water advocates to build a more dependable clean water future. Providentia’s Prospectus 2019
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THE TOP 30 TRENDS
ECONOMIC
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INCREASING NUMBERS OF CONTRACTUAL WORKERS IN THE MARKET AGAINST THE INCREASING DOMINANCE OF #BIGFOOT BUSINESS EMPIRES
The downsizing of large corporations and the traditional model of work has been shifting owing to changes in the economy as companies with behemoth inter-connected global foot prints (#BIGFOOT businesses) continue to dominate the global economy driving many small businesses out of work. Companies such as Amazon (e-commerce); and Space X (terrestrial and space mobility) and Google (Digital Space) will remain the indisputable giants dominating the rate and direction of technology shifts and transformations; and in the developed countries, more and more people are taking on the role of contractual workers or free-market solo-entrepreneurs, by choice or force -- deciding how and
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when they want to work, taking on more than one job or contract at a time as needed, and giving up corporate benefits to work with purpose and freedom if opportune. In the developing countries, this trend is also observed as countries engage in public sector rightsizing and public sector workers join the horde of the ‘free market ‘solopreneurs’.
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INCREASING TENSION BETWEEN THE ‘TOXIC’ MEME OF ‘GROWTH’ AND ALTERNATIVES
Unlimited growth in a closed system, Planet Earth, is not possible and yet that has been the accepted meme since the Industrial Revolution. It is the assumed ‘positive’ behind most media reports and government actions and challenging it is regarded as heresy, dangerous or just deranged. It determines our attitudes to the environment (there to be exploited), to unwillingness to engage in debates about a sustainable population (growing population as assumed variable), and to profit (there can never be enough). Challenging ‘Growth’ is unwelcome challenge to the current world economic system but sustainable alternatives such as ‘degrowth’ are gaining ground.
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TIGHTENING LABOR MARKETS IN THE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
The lack of skilled, experienced workers will become worse in the coming year. For years, many employers have been ignoring the need for training and that means they have been looking for people who are already equipped to take their jobs. Currently unemployment rates in several developed countries are very low and will remain so for the foreseeable future. Also increasing automation of some low-skilled manufacturing jobs in Asia will see such low-skilled newly automated jobs being repatriated to their home countries. Employers will respond to these shortages by becoming creative and innovating with “new” and re-worked perks. We expect to see leased cars coming back for mid-level top talent and a major move in the direction of flex time, space, and place. Employers will also respond will unique experiences and teambuilding events to appeal to Generations Y and Z, like trampolining, ziplining, ropes courses, and escape rooms---to name a few. There will be a real emphasis placed on improving experiences for all of the employees from the candidate experience to retirement. Companies like Sedgwick that place an emphasis on “caring” will reap the rewards. Providentia’s Prospectus 2019
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INCREASING ACCESS TO FINANCIAL SERVICES FOR WOMEN
In addition to increasing mobile and internet penetration, Sub-Saharan Africa has long been the epicenter of mobile money, and it is anticipated that the region will continue to have the highest spread of registered mobile money customers in the globe in 2019. This has translated into a high increase of financial inclusion in the continent from 23 percent in 2011 to 43 percent in 2017. Despite almost half of the population in the continent using mobile money, women make up only 36%. However, this may be an underestimation of women’s financial inclusion of women mainly because of patriarchy issues in Africa. Getting gender disaggregated data is particularly hard because many mobile phone accounts used by women are registered under men’s names or shared family accounts.
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DEEPENING POVERTY AMONG LOW WAGE WORKERS IN THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
2019 will continue to bring with it more youth entering the job market than the number of jobs being created in the developing world. Because of that, many people will continue holding precarious informal sector jobs where a disproportionate number of young people and women work. Progress in reducing working poverty in the developing countries will therefore continue to be too slow to keep up with the expanding labor force. As such, poverty and extreme poverty is expected to continue affecting the working poor in 2019. The lack of reduction in extreme poverty is happening against a backdrop of both lackluster and growing economies, and persists owing to policy systems and structures that do not effectively redistribute wealth but instead perpetrate high inequalities between the rich and the poor.
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THE TOP 30 TRENDS
POLITICAL
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INCREASING MULTI-POLAR WORLDVIEW
We are seeing the end of the post WWII western consensus, moving from a US-led world to a multipolar world. It is not yet clear which nations, if any, will emerge as influencers in this multi-polar world, but the center of gravity of global power and influence, both political and economic, is shifting from the North and West, to countries in the East and South. This is associated with political tensions and instability and we see that the emerging popularity of different world views will change not only the way decisions are made, but potentially the range of decisions themselves.
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RISING US-CHINA ECONOMIC AND MILITARY TENSIONS IN THE PACIFIC
Elite reactions to and public perceptions of this trend, around the world, will shape the geopolitical context of the 21st century. Should the trend continue, we can expect multiple spillover effects including probable space militarization, an AI-enabled “arms race”, emergent conflict flashpoints throughout the Pacific region, and a hardening of positions vis a vis national, regional and resource security. On the other hand, amelioration of this trend could give rise to an era of great power cooperation and an extended peace that benefits not only the US and China but much of the planet.
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INCREASING EVIDENCE OF DEEP STATE EXISTENCE
Increasingly dictatorial governments with Heads of State that can say what they want but cannot do what they want as the globally networked society has ‘unelected’ nodes of power (The Deep State) that will make decisions for the rest of the populace and intervene in governance and policy for their interests. One of these nodes will be organized crime that diversifies its spheres of operation beyond drug trafficking to kidnapping, trade in counterfeit goods (including drugs), theft of fuel and gas, pedophilia, organ and arms trafficking, and cybercrime; and finds new ways of exerting influence through having crime networks that involve elected or government officials. There is also increased intervention by powerful countries in the issues of their power rivals.
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INCREASING NUMBER OF YOUTH UNDER 35 RUN FOR ELECTED OFFICE
Emboldened by the rise of the young Democrats in the USA, young democracy activists around the world take note and begin entering active elective politics in countries around the world. Using social media, they force increasing attention to their agendas and mainstream politicians register increased loss of control.
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INCREASING UPTAKE OF VOTES BY ‘NON-VIABLE’ THIRD PARTIES
Fed up with the extremism of both the progressive socialist left and the ultra-conservative right, centrists and moderates on both sides lodge protest votes through third party votes for Green and other Fringe parties that do not stand a chance of winning.
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CAVEATS
“Praemonitus Praemunitus – Forewarned is Forearmed.” Caveat Emptor. Let the buyer beware. The above thirty trends are those that ten women futurists from around the world find fascinating to watch. We offer these as tribute at the altar of knowledge as the ones we believe are the most vital seeds of our shared future. Having offered them, we will observe the conversations they cultivate as we traverse the landscape of 2019. Afterall no one quite anticipated the entanglement of the American democracy would be as noisy, nor the current global instability as a result of the seeming growing chaos in US foreign affairs policy. As acolytes of Providentia we offer these seeds of the future as part of our duty to help humanity prepare to ensure we give birth to a future of flourishing. Trend naming and trend watching is at its best a catalyst for the elucidation of many strategic plans and policies and programs that will be debated, defined, designed and deployed in the days to come. Whether these seeds bear fruit or wither on the vine is left to be seen, but no doubt, as she observes our efforts somewhere over the rainbow on the causal plane, Providentia is wearing her Mona Lisa smile.
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ABOUT THE FUTURISTAS DR. GUILLERMINA BAENA PAZ (Mexico) Guillermina Baena Paz, Ph.D. is a Professor in Political and Social Sciences at UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico) where she specializes in future studies, prospective, and foresight. She is Member of World Future Society, the Association of Professional Futurists, Member of Executive Board of the World Futures Studies Federation (WFSF) and its Regional Vice President. Professor Guillermina has authored fifty books and is Coordinator of the Seminar on Prospective Studies. She has been recognized by WFSF as an Outstanding Futurist in 2016; by UNAM with the Sor Juana Prize in 2017; and by UNCUYO Argentina, for her contributions to the development of global foresight in 2017.
AYELET BARON (Canada) Ayelet Baron is a purposeful designer + strategist, dedicated to the evolution of the next generation of conscious leaders. She envisions a world where people and the planet matter, and business plays a greater role in societal value. Most recently, Ayelet was a strategic consultant to Genius 100 Visions, inspired by Albert Einstein, a purpose driven community uniting 100 global Visionaries. Ayelet was a Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer for Cisco, cocreating a strategy to take Canada to the second largest revenue country. She is the author of Our Journey to Corporate Sanity: Transformational Stories from the Frontiers of 21st Century Leadership. Two new co-authored books will be published in 2019 and 2020.
DR. AMY L. FLETCHER (New Zealand/USA) Amy Fletcher is an Associate Professor in the Political Science Department at the University of Canterbury. She specializes in science and technology policy, technology foresight, biotechnology policy, and the politics of space exploration. Before moving to New Zealand, she worked as a Legislative Assistant in the United States House of Representatives on telecommunications and technology issues. Born in Huntsville, Alabama, because her Dad worked on the Moon test rockets in the 1960s, she has a lifelong interest in technology and society. She is the Associate Editor of Politics and Life Sciences Journal (Cambridge University Press) and a member of the Association of Professional Futurists.
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ABOUT THE FUTURISTAS JOYCE GIOIA, MBA, CSP, CMC (USA) Joyce Gioia, Bestselling Author, Certified Speaking Professional, and Certified Management Consultant Gioia [joy-yah] has helped thousands of clients envision and create better futures. Gioia has spoken in 47 states and on seven continents and regularly delivers keynote presentations for conferences throughout the world. Author of The Herman Trend Alert, she is often quoted in national media including TIME, National Public Radio, and MSNBC. She has earned three masters degrees, including an MBA. As a Celebrity Futurist, she has appeared on television 70 times in the last three years. She will also be teaching Leadership to college seniors on Colorado State University’s Fall 2019 Voyage for Semester at Sea.
DR. PATRICIA KELLY (Australia) Dr. Patricia Kelly, Senior Fellow, Staff and Educational Development Association is a higher education consultant, with a foundation in futures studies, particularly Causal Layered Analysis. Since 2011 she has been working with engineering academics in teamwork preparation and intercultural education for sustainable futures. She gained Fellowship of the UK Staff and Educational Development Association in 2001 and became a Senior Fellow of SEDA in 2010. Her book, Towards Globo Sapiens: Transforming Learners in Higher Education, (Sense Publishers, Rotterdam, 2008), is based on her PhD research into transformative education with first year engineering students. She reviews for a variety of journals and conferences and has been on the editorial board for the Journal of Futures Studies for some years.
PATRICIA LUSTIG (Netherlands/UK) Patricia is a foresight, strategy and change consultant and author. She is a recognized practitioner in foresight and strategy development, future thinking, scenario planning and innovation and she advises at all levels, working from factory floor to boardroom. Patricia uses foresight, horizon scanning and futures tools to help organizations develop insight into emerging trends, develop a successful strategy based on this insight and then implement the changes needed to carry the strategy out. She has worked in Europe, EMEA, Asia and the USA. She is multilingual.
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ABOUT THE FUTURISTAS ALETHIA BERENICE MONTERO BAENA (Mexico) Psychofuturartist, Pioneer of Forward Theater in Latin America. Co-Creator of Psychoprospective and Personal Futures Advisor. Alethia also serves as Director, Teach the Future Mexico and is a national and international lecturer and workshop coordinator. Alethia is a member of World Futures Studies Federation, the Association of Professional Futurists, and the Futurists Board of the Advisory Board of The Lifeboat Foundation. Alethia is also cofounder of the Permanent Seminar of Prospective Studies, FCPyS, UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico), Mexico City. She holds a Masters’ Degree in Humanist Body Psychotherapy and has written several articles in both English and Spanish.
KATINDI SIVI NJONJO (Kenya) Katindi Sivi-Njonjo is the founder and lead consultant of LongView Consult, which specializes in socio-economic research, policy analysis, foresight strategy and training with individuals, companies and governments in Africa. She is currently a Doctoral candidate at Regent University studying Strategic Leadership (Strategic Foresight). She also has training in, among other areas, Scenarios Planning from Oxford University, Said Business School.
JACQUELINE WEIGEL (Brazil) Futurist, Keynote Speaker, Humanist, Exponential Leaders Trainer and Digital Entrepreneur. Graduated in Management of People and Skills from FGV, SP, Futures Researcher, student at Singularity University and Finland Futures Research Center, Finland, member of Association of Professional Futurists and World Futures Studies Federation. Acts strongly in Culture Change, Futures Strategy and participates actively in the ecosystems of innovation and entrepreneurship of Brazil. Global Futures, Foresight and Strategic Foresight applied to business and leadership.
20 Providentia’s Prospectus 2019
ABOUT THE CURATOR DR. CLAIRE NELSON (JAMAICA/USA) Dr. Claire Nelson is Chief Futurist & Ideation Leader of The Futures Forum, a research and education practice specializing in bringing the power of strategic foresight and the discipline of sustainability engineering to challenges facing organizations and communities. Her work as a futurist, sustainability engineer, social entrepreneur and storyteller has taken her to three continents and over 45 countries, speaking and consulting to organizations across a variety of spectrum in both the public and private sectors. She is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Futures Studies, the Association of Professional Futurists, and the World Futures Studies Federation, where she serves on Editorial Committee of Human Futures Magazine. Before establishing The Futures Forum, Dr. Nelson held a variety of positions at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), over a thirty-year career which spanned from strategic portfolio development to technical feasibility studies. She was a thought leader in promoting the use of Strategic Foresight in development planning, organizing the Bank’s first Latin America 2020 Social Development Futures Seminar Series. She also pioneered the IDB’ portfolio in development with equity in Latin America. As a result of her leadership, she was honored with the IDB’s prestigious Ortiz Mena Award in 2010. Dr. Nelson who is Co-Convenor of the Caribbean Space Society is the Firestarter for the Campaign for the Moon as a Space Heritage Site and Space Goodwill Games 2030 and is currently working on her one woman show ‘Moon Runnings! The Fantastical Tale of My Life as the First Jamaican on the Moon’. Nelson holds a Doctorate in Engineering Management from the George Washington University and is recognized as a White House Champion of Change.