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The development of any region or territory stems from its own dynamic nature. Economic activity and employment are stimulated by the number of local initiatives plus the cross‐fertilisation of those same initiatives. Globalisation, external constraints and technological change are therefore not really obstacles to be overcome but rather opportunities to be seized. In our experience, participatory foresight exercise using simple and appropriate methods has proved to be a powerful lever for promoting territorial dynamics.

Looks at an approach to scenario planning characterized by its future‐oriented attitude, and attributed to Michel Godet — a French strategy specialist. Uses a Figure depicting Godet's scenario method for added emphasis. Depicts Godet's scenario as a description of a future situation and the course of events that allows one to move forward from the original situation to the future situation. Concludes scenario‐building teams should be kept together because frequent changes of personnel have an adverse effect.

In a recent issue of Futuribles, authors from the European Commission’s Forward Studies Unit outlined five scenarios for Europe 2010. The scenarios were constructed using the so‐called “shaping actors, shaping factors” method, claimed by the authors as specific to their unit. In this article, Michel Godet reacts to that claim and makes two fundamental criticisms of their methodology.

Tempting as it is to be deterministic about world trade, Western economies are facing a number of new challenges. The collapse of hi‐tech stocks has prompted a re‐evaluation of the new economy, yet traditional economic models no longer offer reliable predictions for the future. New information and communications technology has unquestionably jump‐started America’s economy, yet its re‐found prosperity is in many ways illusory. While the economists debate the relevance of classical theory, one inescapable fact confronts the nations of Europe: the inexorable decline of their population – and with it, their intellectual capital.

This article considers the European agricultural battlefield where farmers face the problem of new challenges to the environment and food safety which only add to the problems of productivity or competitiveness. Logical agriculture (or integrated farming) seeks to reconcile economic competitiveness, product quality and safety in the food chain with respect for the environment by using products to preserve the potential for development for future generations and by establishing quality assurance and certification systems to ensure sustainable development. In order to save the rural aspect of agriculture while simultaneously contributing towards sustainable development, the article suggests complementary routes which would smooth the transition from agriculture to ecoculture thereby keeping and reinforcing the trust of the citizen‐consumer.

This article aims to treat contemporary economic development from a regional and European perspective.

The article applies a French prospective (foresight) approach to the issues of employment, decentralization, and privatization as an antidote to the usual discussions of governance and globalization.

The article stresses the need for simple, appropriable methods and questions designed to help groups start futures exercises. It contrasts key concepts such as corporation and region, governance and its popular definitions to show how collective futures exercises are a vector in regional development and a form of participatory democracy. The focus is on the human factor, i.e. local initiatives, which improve regional dynamics and create strong ties. An appendix outlines current French priorities.

The article appeals to local “actors” to look toward the future together in a participatory, proactive process within regional and broader European frameworks.

The paper aims to review all the techniques for developing scenarios that have appeared in the literature, along with comments on their utility, strengths and weaknesses.

The study was carried out through an electronic search using internet search engines and online databases and indexes.

The paper finds eight categories of techniques that include a total of 23 variations used to develop scenarios. There are descriptions and evaluations for each.

Futurists can use this list to broaden their repertoire of scenario techniques.

Scenario development is the stock‐in‐trade of futures studies, but no catalog of the techniques used has yet been published. This list is the start at developing a consensus list of techniques that can be refined as the field matures.

The purpose of this article is to develop a methodology for the identification of a desired normative scenario, acceptable and feasible, based on a set of prospective scenarios.

This paper presents strategic alliances as one fundamental tool in the process of constructing the future. The alliances are based on prospective scenarios, within strategic interactions.

The central key is the view of the most probable future as a NASH balance point. This point identifies not only a balance of forces, but also the negotiation limits for each actor and therefore the strategic alliances possible. The alliances, if achieved, create a “super actor”, destabilizing the original balance, and creating a new balance point, and therefore a more likely new future.

This article develops a methodology for the identification of a desired normative scenario, acceptable and feasible, based on a set of prospective scenarios.

The purpose of this paper is to report on how foresight methods are being used to address a “wicked problem” for the global furniture industry: “What are we going to do in the furniture industry in high cost countries (HCC) to maintain our future competitiveness with respect to the competition coming from low cost countries?”

This study explores one sectorial initiative, CEFFOR® (Furniture Foresight Centre, headquarters in Valencia, Spain), that attempts to mitigate the negative impact of globalisation on the competitiveness of the furniture industry in HCCs, by creating a vision of a preferable future through the use of a set of qualitative foresight tools (structural analysis, morphological analysis/field anomaly relaxation, and cross impact analysis) involving a worldwide expert panel.

This paper examines the set‐up phase of the CEFFOR initiative, and describes the main elements of the morphological space developed to profile possible future configurations of the global furniture industry. Future papers will report on further model development and the subsequent take‐up of this work.

The approach used could be adapted to a variety of other industrial sectors. While this study examines a traditional industrial sector, there is no conceptual limitation on its use in other sectors, although such adaptation should clearly remain alert to the unique aspects of any industry.

The novelty of this initiative is the application of a normative foresight approach in a traditional industrial sector in order to generate a shared vision of a sustainable future, and to integrate this foresight approach with an existing business intelligence system.

The paper aims to query the value of strategies implemented, notably in France, and to demonstrate the largely ignored link between demographics and economics.

The paper achieves its objective by comparing statistics of European Union (EU) members and competitors to reveal that traditional views on economics and social policy may no longer apply.

The paper finds that the Old Europe stagnated due to political lack of will, but a renewed Europe has begun. The Euro as scapegoat for poor performance is dismissed. Productivity figures show how foreign trade and debt can be efficiently managed. Overall, trade must be encouraged worldwide. Low‐wage countries will inevitably compete and cannot ethically be ignored. The subsidy debate heats up as the EU agricultural policy ends and the USA extends Farm Aid. Regardless, EU members must focus on sustainable development. The low birthrate in the Old Europe means social policy should be reformed to encourage families to have children and allow selective immigration to meet labour needs. The implication is that France – Europe in general – must review the EU mission and structure. The French president seems to be headed in this direction. In future research, demographics must be monitored to make social and economic plans for the working lives of our youth and retirement of our seniors.

This paper will interest economists, politicians and policy‐makers, especially those unaware of the role of demographics in productivity and planning.