Recently scholars of political economy and in economic sociology have paid renewed attention to the question of how economic actors cope with the problem of a fundamentally uncertain future. There have been increasing calls to put – as stated by Braun (2015) – “the future-oriented nature of economic discourses and practices at the centre of …
Tag: anticipatory action
Anthony Giddens on the rise of futures thinking and risk management
It is commonly argued that modern Western cultures have a bias towards short-termism and the present (rather than adequately considering the future). I was recently prompted to re-engage with Anthony Giddens analysis of how engagement with the future has evolved, which challenges some of these prevailing these views. Giddens is an influential British sociologist who …
Biosecurity and sustainability interventions: similarities and cross-learnings?
It’s been really exciting and interesting to discover the scholarship examining the emerging field of “biosecurity interventions”. My PhD has given me the time and space to dive in and explore some new material, such as by anthropologist Andrew Lakoff. Lakoff has been examining what he terms ‘anticipatory interventions’ in biological threats and the use …