About the Inquiry

In 2006 the Carnegie UK Trust opened the Democracy and Civil Society Programme. A key element of the Civil Society strand is the Inquiry into the Future of Civil Society in the UK and Ireland. The Inquiry is an independent commission set up to strengthen civil society in the UK and Ireland.  

Goals of the Inquiry 

The primary objectives and hoped for results of the Inquiry are to: 

• Explore the possible threats to and opportunities for the development of a healthy civil society, looking out to 2025
• Identify how policy and practice can be enhanced to help strengthen civil society
• Enhance the ability of civil society associations to prepare for the challenges of the future

Phase 1 

The goal of the first phase of the Inquiry was to explore the possible threats to and opportunities for civil society, looking out to 2025. Using futures thinking, the Inquiry conducted research and gathered the insights from over 400 people around the UK and Ireland. The findings of this work are documented in three publications: 

• Futures for civil society (Summary)
• The shape of civil society to come
• Scenarios for civil society 

To enable civil society associations to make practical use of the reports and to aid their strategic thinking a toolkit has also been developed, all publications are available on the Inquiry website.  

Phase 2 

Drawing on the findings of the first phase of the Inquiry's work, the second phase of the Inquiry, which started in 2008, is exploring a number of 'burning issues' that are critical to the future well-being of civil society. The Inquiry is exploring the current and possible future roles of civil society associations in relation to the following themes:

• Growing a civil economy.
• Bridging social justice, climate change and resource scarcity.
• Enabling meaningful dialogue and deliberation.
• Social media and media ownership.
• The marginsalisation of dissent in the UK and globally.