Kitty Kubo (Head of Foresight Division at the Development Fund, Estonia) - Turning to the Future after the Age of Easy Growth

Turning to the Future after the Age of Easy Growth
The need for transformation beyond the turmoil is particularly acute in the „new“ member-states of the European Union, which have been hit the most in the current crisis. For several past years, it used to be that growth came easy and future was wide open. Even if not much effort was put into thinking about this future and leading the way towards it – things went well as they were. The case of Baltic States is an especially good example of this.
In order to get back to success track from being a current basket case of Europe, we need to change our mind–set and do this in two ways. First, more future-oriented thinking should arise into (economic) policy-making. Second, this should be accompanied by a relevant rethinking of the state’s role in the economy of the future. With foresight we might have a chance to start the winning streak again.