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CONTENTS, INTRODUCTION |
Contents
Introduction - Erzsébet Nováky, Viorica Ramba Varga, Mária Kalas Kőszegi
Preface - Eleonora Barbieri Masini
Let us introduce ourselves
PART ONE: COUNTRY STUDIES
Futures studies in Bulgaria - Alexander Tomov
1. Past and present of futures studies in Bulgaria
2. Future of the futures research programmes in Bulgaria
Futures studies in the Czech Republic - Frantisek Petrasek
1. Some features of local futures studies ideology
2. Last fifty years of the futures studies
3. Challenges to futures studies
References
Futures studies in Estonia - Erik Terk
1. Institutes and futures research activities in years 1960-1990
2. Institutes and futures research activities after 1990
3. The questions of Today
From anticipations of a bright future to dissolution - Karlheinz Steinmüller
1. Introduction
2. Following the Soviet model
3. The race to the year 2000
4. Prognostics
5. Confronted with the Limits to Growth
6. In the years of decline
7. The aftermath
References
Futures studies in Hungary - Erzsébet Nováky
1. The beginnings and organisational/institutional background of futures studies in Hungary
2. Historical perspectives of futures studies in Hungary
3. Scientific research
4. University-level teaching
5. International relations
6. Conclusions for the future
Bibliography - Comprehensive books on futures studies written by Hungarian authors 1970-2001
30 years of futures studies in Poland - Experiences and conclusions - Andrzej Karpinski
1. From classic prognoses to strategic studies on the future
2. Polish approach to some methodological problems
3. Scale of risks and threats to the adopted long-term strategy
4. Government long-term strategies - similarities and differences
5. Substantial elements of the accomplishments of the Polish practice
6. Conclusions for the future
Foresight studies in Romania - Mircea Malitza
1. Brief preliminaries
2. The present situation
3. Conclusions
Futures studies in Slovakia - Stefan Zajac
1. Futures studies before 1989
2. Futures studies in the 1990s
3. Conference at Smolenice 1998
4. Conclusions
References
Futures studies in the USSR (1966-1991) and in Russia (1991-1999) - Igor Bestuzhev-Lada
1. Forecasting boom in the USSR of 60s
2. Quasi-forecasting in 70s-80s
3. Six case studies - one example of hundreds
4. Non-government forecasting organisation
5. Forecasting and decision-making
6. Three case studies of 90s
7. Towards Russian Futures Studies Academy
8. Participation in International Futurists Associations
9. Teaching young futurists
Futures studies in Yugoslavia - Radmila Nakarada
PART TWO: SYNTHESIS
The comprehensive picture based on the answers to the questionnaire - Viorica Ramba Varga
1. Introductory words
2. Similarities and differences among the individual countries
3. Final considerations
Epilogue - Viorica Ramba Varga
Annex - Questionnaire
Introduction
Being on the eve of the 21st century we came to the conclusion it is time to summarize the information on futures studies in our East and Central European ex socialist countries between 1960 and 2000 and make them known far and wide. From a historical perspective we intended to give a comprehensive and comparative picture about these activities in the individual countries.
This idea was inspired and guided by an important consideration. The researchers who have been active since the sixties have accumulated enormous experience, which is not yet compiled for internationally consumption for the future. It is our common interest today, that this accumulated knowledge not be allowed to disappear. Therefore, our fundamental goal was: to provide a stage for the members of the previous generation to present their activities and results to convey their store of learning to the next and the forthcoming generations and to help them amid their different but not less difficult circumstances.
Viorica Ramba Varga, from Bucharest, as her idea, worked out a Questionnaire for having systematized information on futures studies from this region. Her conception met with the future-oriented thinking and commitment of the two Hungarian futurists - Erzsébet Nováky and Mária Kalas Kőszegi - we three (members of the World Futures Studies Federation) immediately set up an Editorial Board in Budapest. We finalized the Questionnaire and worked out the concept and the structure of a book.
To reach our aims we turned to the well-known and experienced futurists and scientific committees/societies of the countries in this region to participate in this historical work. Appreciating their known valuable futures studies activities we had every hope to be partners in this venture. Our intention was to have information from all of the European ex socialist countries. At the end we succeeded in collecting country studies from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, the German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, the USSR/Russia and Yugoslavia.
[...]
The book consists of two main parts: i.e. country studies and the synthesis of the answers given to the Questionnaires. They covered the period of 1960-2000, divided into two parts, 1960-1990 and 1990-2000. The borderline was the fall of the Soviet Union and the socialist system, when the transition period started. The country studies are published in their original form under the name of the author as independent chapters. The Editorial Board made only some slight editorial corrections. The answers to the Questionnaire gave a good possibility to have a comprehensive and comparative picture about the futures studies activities and scientific results of the futurists in the given countries...