4th Asia-Pacific Futurists Network Conference

Conference | 4th Asia-Pacific Futurists Network Conference | Bangkok, Thailand | 28-29 August 2018

Purpose

Hosted in Bangkok for the first time, the 4th APFN conference intends to take a two-track approach catering for practitioners and academic researchers simultaneously. The organizers of the conference intend also to increase the profile of the work futurists are doing. Thailand is also very actively discussing Economy 4.0 and some other future-oriented themes.

This years’s conference seeks to understand the changing futures of Asia. In contrast to those who engage in the realpolitik of the short term: this conference focuses on the imagination of Asia. How is it imagined now, and how might it be imagined in the future. What might Asia look like in 2038, for example.

Furthermore, through disruptions we explore how the imagination of Asia might transform. For example, how might the shift to solar energy and intelligent/autonomous cars transform the design of Asian cities? Will Asian cities become green, smart, and clean? How might disruptions in capitalism – the shift toward the sharing economy, for example, transform the economic landscape of Asia? Will advances in AI create new jobs or ensure a jobless future for all? Will meditation and yoga by integrating our various selves not only lead to inner bliss but enhance productivity?

While policymakers often desire precise answers to these questions, futurists have learned that these are best answered as alternative futures, as scenarios of the possible, plausible and preferred.

Along with alternative futures, case studies of foresight in practice from government, the private sector, and the community arena will be highlighted.

Objectives

  1. To imagine Asia’s future; explores disruptions, and seeks to create alternative futures
  2. To share important methods, tools and innovations for futures thinking and foresight
  3. Through case studies, to motivate and enable the participants to apply the appropriate methods
  4. To promote cooperation and networking among participants as well as share experiences between members of different organizations and backgrounds
  5. To increase the profile of futures thinking and foresight in the Asia-Pacific.
  6. Create awareness for the need of creating future literacy with future (younger) leaders

Conference Steering Committee

  • Dr. Kua-Hua Chen, Graduate Institute for Future Studies (GIFS),Tamkang University, Taiwan
  • Dr. Nur Anisah Binti Abdullah, Strathclyde Business School, International Centre UAE
  • Dr. Mei-Mei Song, Graduate Institute for Future Studies (GIFS),Tamkang University, Taiwan
  • Dr. Seong-Won Park, Science and Technology Policy Institute, (STEPI), Korea
  • Dr. Shun-Jie Ji, Graduate Institute for Future Studies (GIFS), Tamkang University, Taiwan
  • Dr. Sohail Inayatullah, UNESCO Chair for Future Studies & Co-Founder Metafutures
  • Mr. Jost Wagner, The Change Initiative, Bangkok (Conference Director)

Practicalities

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