1st Edition
Exploring and Shaping International Futures
"People who run cities like to play Simcity to find out how impossible their jobs are. Hughes gives everyone a chance to play a kind of Simplanet, with outcomes far more complex and uncertain. In the process, the book and the computer program provide a coherent path to understanding an anarchic world." --Ronald A. Francisco, University of Kansas "What will be the future of human demographic, economic, environmental, and political-social systems throughout the 21st century? Where do current changes appear to be taking us? What kind of future would we prefer? How much leverage do we have to bring about the future we prefer? Do YOU share these interests of the book? If yes, you should study the book and learn how to cope with the future with the International Futures approach (IFs) developed by the authors. This large-scale integrated global simulation modeling system is a user-friendly, professional tool for long-term policy analysis and an educational tool in universities. I had a pleasure to learn it personally by cooperating with Barry Hughes." --Pentti Malaska, Professor of MS, DrTech, futurist Honorary member of the Club of Rome What will be the long-term impact of AIDS in Africa or concentration of global oil production in the Middle East? Exploring and Shaping International Futures helps readers understand such global trends in demographic, economic, energy, food, environmental, and socio-political systems. It allows businesspeople, government officials, and others to think concretely about global futures in each of these areas. It is the only book on the market that allows readers to use a computer simulation to track global trends and to develop alternative scenarios around those trends. It is one of relatively few books that really brings computer technology into the classroom, boardroom, or policy planning commission. The International Futures (IFs) computer simulation, around which the book is built, is now widely used in policy analysis as well as education. It has been instrumental in projects undertaken by such groups as the European Commission, the U.S. National Intelligence Council, and the United Nations. After three decades of development and refinement, the computer model is now easy to access and use. Readers can access the website with the IFs computer model at www.ifs.du.edu
Biography
Barry B. Hughes, Evan E. Hillebrand
"What will be the future of human demographic, economic, environmental, and political-social systems throughout the 21st century? Where do current changes appear to be taking us? What kind of future would we prefer? How much leverage do we have to bring about the future we prefer? If you share my interest in these critical questions, you will benefit greatly from this book and the International Futures (IFs) modeling system. This large-scale integrated global simulation modeling system is a user-friendly, professional tool for long-term policy analysis and education."
--Pentti Malaska, Professor of MS, DrTech, futurist
Honorary member of the Club of Rome
"This is an essential guide to understanding current trends and to mapping the future. Only the integration of economic, social, and environmental trends can give us a sufficient understanding of each."
--Peter Johnston, European Commission and the Club of Rome
"Exploring and Shaping International Futures is unique in futures studies and among the other social sciences. No other text covers the major transformations shaping the global future with as strong an empirical base and with as much room for students and others to determine for themselves which of these are problems, which are solutions, and what should be done with them to improve our joint future."
--Peter C. Bishop, Ph.D, Founding Member, Association of Professional Futurists
"Barry Hughes' seminal efforts over the last 20 years have addressed the challenge to global systems modelers initiated by Jay Forrester's World Dynamics. Together the text and the IFs computer model offer a fascinating compendium of theories, data, and formal modeling. The new book with Evan Hillebrand provides a wonderful learning environment as well as a valued test bed for debate about practical policy. Users familiar with the earlier version will see steady and subtle improvements extending the information base as well as providing new on-line modeling capabilities."
--Sam Cole, Professor, University at Buffalo, former North American editor, Futures
"This is truly a book for a new millennium. It allows the reader to explore future global issues and to investigate the impact of possible policy changes."
--Dennis Pirages, Harrison Professor of International Environmental Politics at the University of Maryland, board member of the World Future Society
