Project description
Breaking new ground in sustainable policy innovation
In a world grappling with the urgency of climate change and social inequality, traditional policy frameworks often fall short. The need for innovative solutions to foster sustainable societies has never been more pressing. In this context, the EU-funded MultiFutures project aims to integrate alternative economic paradigms into the transition scenarios. By doing so, the project pioneers innovative solutions. Specifically, it will use AI language tools, stakeholder engagement, and a citizen survey to map, quantify, and refine alternative futures. This approach enables policymakers to navigate trade-offs, address negative impacts, and implement policies aligned with climate-neutrality, justice, and resilience. Overall, MultiFutures equips decision-makers with a robust understanding of alternative paradigms, offering a diverse toolkit for progress.
Objective
MultiFutures systematically broadens the scope for policy action towards sustainable societies by assessing and developing transition scenarios based on alternative economic paradigms. This involves extending established transition scenarios (e.g. the EC's 'Long term strategic vision' scenarios or the IEA’s net zero scenarios) to include alternative economic paradigms that are based on a wide spectrum of sound economic and social theories and have demonstrated potential to address global challenges. These paradigms introduce new policy options and instruments, which we aim to critically assess regarding their relevance, effectiveness, and potential trade-offs. The project will proceed through four main steps. First, we use state-of-the-art AI language tools and qualitative methods to map alternative paradigms and develop a paradigm taxonomy. Second, desired futures are extended into quantified transition scenarios using a set of 'beyond GDP' indicators to assess the potential for achieving a climate-neutral, just, and resilient society. Thirdly, stakeholder engagement through anticipatory systems mapping and social simulations will be used to co-create alternative futures and develop concrete policies that balance trade-offs, mitigate negative impacts, and enable dissemination and implementation. In addition, a large-scale survey of >18,000 citizens in Europe provides insights into public perception and acceptance of alternative paradigms and transition policies. Fourth, state-of-the-art modelling will be integrated to assess the economic, environmental, technological and social impacts of alternative paradigms and policies from a well-being perspective, including their environmental and social justice implications. Ultimately, MultiFutures provides policymakers with a comprehensive understanding of alternative paradigms and a broader range of policy options to accelerate progress towards a climate-neutral, just, and resilient society.
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HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinator
4040 Linz
Austria
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.