Governance and Communities

• Democracy

  • Voter participation – where highest, and why?

  • Voter apathy – characteristic of a mature democracy, or will polarizing issues force increased voter participation?

  • IT impact – cyber-democracy?  Fickle electorate or long-term focus?  Future role of political parties and/or money in politics?

  • Close elections or landslides – what is the wave of the future?

  • Informed electorate – or "sound byte politics" and preferential "feasting" on one's own viewpoint?

  • Political parties – the next dinosaurs?

• Governing structures and frameworks

  • Balance of political power among branches of government?

  • Governance structures of the future

  • Legal framework – relevance vs. timeliness?  Simplicity (and ambiguity) vs. detailed provisions?

  • Accommodation of diverse viewpoints including polarizing ones

  • Acceptance or avoidance of responsibility – including within legislative branches?

  • Bureaucracy – more or less of it in 2020?

  • Government and governance in general

• Geopolitical issues

  • The future of the nation-state

  • Relevance of nation-states vs. non-state geostrategic actors – multinational corporations, cause-oriented groups, transnational ethnic groups, etc.

  • "Fission" or "fusion" – more independence movements, or more EC- and NAFTA-style consolidation?

• Communities (see "communities and lifestyles")