A key element of the Carnegie UK Trust's Democracy and Civil Society Programme is the Inquiry into the Future of Civil Society in the UK and Ireland, an independent commission set up to strengthen civil society.
The Commission is chaired by Geoff Mulgan of the Young Foundation and informed by an International Advisory Group.
In the first phase of work, the Inquiry applied futures thinking to run workshops and gather insights on possible threats and opportunities for civil society, looking out to 2025. The Inquiry futures reports document the findings of this work.
"Our aim with the futures reports and with the current work of the Inquiry is to stay ahead of the game and help civil society associations shape the future"
Geoff Mulgan, Inquiry Chair
Drawing on this information, the Inquiry is currently exploring a number of 'burning issues' that are critical to the future well-being of civil society and will be reporting on the following themes:
- Growing a civil economy
- Social justice, climate change and growing pressure on global resources
- Social media, media ownership and the creation of media content
- Enabling meaningful dialogue and deliberation
- The marginalisation of dissent
