Research

Explore over 500 articles on prevailing megatrends in tech, politics and society.

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min

Emerging markets face tough financial challenges

Will emerging markets' recovery be halted by increasing financial problems?

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min

Technology on a leash

By sharing ownership and control with producers and governments, our smart devices are no longer what they seem

15

min

Venetian, young and farming: three lessons from the new generation of Italian farmers on agri-food sustainability

Julia Rijssenbeek and Maya Turolla turn the spotlight on young farmers championing the transition to sustainable food systems.

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min

Politics should focus more on the Good Life

How can we reinstate the concept of the Good without downplaying the systemic risks threatening our global society?

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min

The rise of CBDCs

Pim Korsten gives a rundown on the opportunities and risks of the rise of central bank digital currencies.

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What is Russia's view on climate change?

Melting ice caps in the Arctic are incentivizing Russia’s exploitation and extraction of natural resources representing the last straw of the Anthropocene.

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min

The energy transition is not a hobby

With the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, we have to face the fact that our dependence on fossil fuels poses a structural problem.

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min

Autocracy and the End of History

Is the ideological confrontation between the liberal-democratic and autocratic world order on its way to becoming the global political issue of our century?

3

min

Russian digitalization through a Cosmist lens

To understand Russian politics, we need to understand Russian Cosmism, a philosophy that supports the digitalization of the Arctic.

11

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An introduction to the Stack

Learn more about our framework that helps us understand the anatomy of digital systems.

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min

Russia’s strategic exploitation of the Arctic

A long-standing resource-dependent economy, a melting Arctic, and technical capabilities have thrown the Arctic into the spotlight for Russia’s upcoming economic strategy.

16

min

A beginner's guide to the metaverse

Both praised and feared by many, the 'promises' of the metaverse are highly contentious. Sebastiaan Crul aims to separate the wheat from the chaff.

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A cultural cluster bomb

What will be the lasting impact of the cancellation of Russia?

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According to the IPCC, we are failing

The IPCC urges us to rethink our climate adaptation and mitigation plans. Can we still be on time to stop the climate from changing?

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Dominating the first TikTok war

How the selfie-president and TikTok videos are helping Ukraine dominate social media

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Who pays the price for a resilient economy?

Europe is trying to develop a resilient economy that is less reliant on others. Yet, are we willing to the pay the price for our independence?

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How will the pandemic affect the future of edtech?

The pandemic has ensured the implementation of edtech in school systems. Will pedagogical or technological aspects be prioritized?

11

min

Resisting the green gold

Deconstructing my purchasing choices: why is it so hard to change behavior?

16

min

How the cyborg deconstructed the modern worldview

The evolution of the cyborg in science and popular culture

17

min

Religion and spirituality after the death of God

Secularism could lead to moral and spiritual nihilism that Nietzsche and Dostoevsky warn of. What are the socio-cultural consequences of this?

9

min

Can digital technology save humanity?

How the Digital Revolution will change the rules of the game

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min

The chemical industry is out of control

We have no idea about the long-term impacts of chemical production on our planet. Is it time for a 'guilty until proven innocent' approach?

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The developing intrinsic value of nature

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The sour aftertaste of the Glasgow COP26

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Feel-good philanthropy

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Stimulating sustainable consumer practices

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The greening of green financial products

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Will the metaverse be a “pornoverse”?

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How a decline in trust can be a driver for new political leadership

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AUKUS and the return of geopolitics

Are we heading towards post-human intelligence?

Rethinking being human in a more-than-human world

Beyond planetary boundaries: towards Earth systems justice

Linking new developments in Earth systems research to the Deep Transitions Framework

The future of inflation and interest rates

A long-term view on the drivers of inflation and monetary policy

FreedomLab Selects: Rinus van de Velde — The Armchair Voyager

Vivian Elion analyses the surrealistic exhibition of Rinus van de Velde through the lens of metamodernism.

Has AI become indistinguishable from life itself?

Developments in AI lead to new speculations about the role of technologies in the evolution of life.

Romantic robots: a new love paradigm

Will our society's progressive values lead us to embrace a new romantic paradigm?

Health is the luxury to fall sick and recover

Towards an enriched concept of the normal and the pathological

ChatGPT and the place of the human being in an automated society

An unconventional reflection on Hannah Arendt’s philosophy

Urban greening should focus on equity, not nature

The external valuation of nature in city planning could withhold green areas from becoming accessible to all

Learning to waste

All manufacturing produces waste, even the clean energy industry. Critical clean energy technologies – EV batteries, solar panels, wind turbine blades – lead to a massive problem with waste management