Publications & Research
From Foresight to Power: Challenging and Reimagining Futures and Pathways of Land Use, and Water Governance
In this article by Shermon Cruz and Heidi Mendoza, it unpacked and explored alternative futures of land and water governance in the Philippines in a COVID-19 World. When the complexities of issues arise, and go out of their usual boundaries – futures literacy offer opportunities for people, and institutions to anticipate, and rethink the kinds of futures that they can have, and want. The report shows how a foresight process can provoke or challenge default landscapes of governance planning and provide participants the power to influence policy, and decision-making processes.
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Transforming Women City Leaders
In this piece by Shermon Cruz explores how city futures could be reimagined when viewed from the lens of women. It accentuates how city innovation, design and narratives look like when city futures are questioned and reconstructed by women? What are the big issues, game changers and game plans that enables women leaders to design their own strategic pathways to transformation? This article is a report of the Transforming Women City Leaders initiative by World Futures Studies Federation Learning Lab organized by the Center for Engaged Foresight, Northwestern University and the University of Northern Philippines.
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Youth Leadership and the use of the future
In this case study by Shermon Cruz and Ace Aceron present and discuss a customized futures literacy laboratory, processes, results and outcomes. The futures literacy lab project was designed for the MVP Future Thought Leaders Summit, an annual youth event, that involved over a hundred of senior high school leaders who had demonstrated leadership excellence in their schools. This piece demonstrates how futures literacy laboratories can broaden youth perspectives on how to imagine future scenarios, find alternative solutions and create impact in their own communities. To download the Book, go to the article.
To download the Book, go to the article.
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To download the Book, go to the article.
Alternative futures of global governance: scenarios and perspectives from the Global South
In this article by Shermon Cruz, take a critical and informative exploration of the emerging roles and rising influence of the Global South in shaping the future of global governance. Specifically, it inquires into the following questions: How is the Global South impacting the way we govern globally? What are the pushers, pulls and weights to the futures of global governance?
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Possible Scenarios on the Futures of the Panatag Shoal Controversy Using Jim Dator’s Four Archetypes of Alternative Futures
In this paper by Shermon Cruz, explore the possible scenarios on the future of the Panatag island controversy. Using Jim Dator’s four archetypes of alternative futures it asks various questions: what are the possible scenarios in Asia when viewed from the Panatag Island controversy? What are the consequences of a continued economic growth, collapse, conserver and transformation scenarios at the Panatag Island? What might happen if conflict escalates and worst case scenario eventuate?
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Resilient Cities, Brighter Futures: A Case Study on Futures Literacy Knowledge Lab in the Philippines
A storm is brewing in Asia, will Philippine cities transcend beyond the
narrative of trauma and disasters? Is there an alternative future for Philippine
cities or would it learn from the past to innovate, act and create the preferred
story? Are current strategies enough to transform our cities or do we need to question our
assumptions now and rethink our ways of knowing the city and create alternative and change
the way we imagine our cities and leadership from the big man rule - autocratic, corrupt and
isolated to the fresh food market - pluralistic, democratic, transparent and participatory?
In this report Shermon Cruz presents and explores the pushes, pulls and weights, alternative and preferred futures of Philippine cities in a city futures workshop organized by UNESCO, the Center for Engaged Foresight, Northwestern University, Tamkang University and the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines.
In this report Shermon Cruz presents and explores the pushes, pulls and weights, alternative and preferred futures of Philippine cities in a city futures workshop organized by UNESCO, the Center for Engaged Foresight, Northwestern University, Tamkang University and the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines.
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Flavors of Practice: Developing the Asia Pacific Futures Network
Futures Studies and Strategic Foresight is a rapidly growing field in the Asia-Pacific region. We have witnessed an explosion of interest in Futures Thinking in Asia: from Tamkang University’s Foresight Program and the emergence of various presidential foresight initiatives; the spread of foresight in government ministries; foresight-driven government projects in Singapore, Malaysia, and Taiwan; the increasing number of international organizations, corporations and financial institutions supporting foresight courses in Pakistan, Philippines, Bangladesh, and Iran; plus an emerging interest of many leading universities in Asia, it seems apparent that Futures Studies and Foresight have indeed arrived in many parts of the Asia-Pacific region.
Read the report on the futures of futures thinking in the Asia Pacific region by Shermon Cruz, John Sweeney and Mohammadali Bharadaran.
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Read the report on the futures of futures thinking in the Asia Pacific region by Shermon Cruz, John Sweeney and Mohammadali Bharadaran.
Peering into the Futures of Liberal Arts
In this this paper Shermon Cruz peers into the futures of liberal arts and articulates numerous contexts engaged in shaping the futures of liberal arts. It sought to answer the following questions: Is liberal arts likely to face extinction? Are there other liberal arts contexts other than the Western liberal arts model? Is there such a thing as a non-Western framework of liberal arts education? And can it be renewed, reinterpreted, redefined or translated in the context of the other, beyond the Western tradition? If so, what are its nuances, constraints, intricacies, hopes, and futures? What are the futures of Non-Western and Western liberal arts models?
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“Our Future is Where the Heart is:” How Futures Literacy can Enhance Youth Voice and the Case of Youth Policy Development in Laos
In this article, Shermon Cruz, David Young and Adam Sharpe explores how futures methods and tools can help facilitate youth participation in decision-making processes, while effectively enhancing their skills and abilities to do so more effectively. At the same time, this article provides recommendations for refining and enhancing these tools for future applications in youth development contexts in Southeast Asia.
Read the report on the futures of futures thinking in the Asia Pacific region by Shermon Cruz, John Sweeney and Mohammadali Bharadaran.
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Read the report on the futures of futures thinking in the Asia Pacific region by Shermon Cruz, John Sweeney and Mohammadali Bharadaran.
City Futures for City Leaders
In this article Shermon Cruz and Cesar Villanueva reports what transpired during the World Futures Studies Federation and Think City futures thinking workshop for city leaders in Penang Malaysia. Questions persist such as: How do we create the inclusive city? How do cities ensure spatial justice and equal access to urban resources and opportunities amidst the impacts of climate change? How do we link strategic foresight to urban governance and strategy development? These are some of the big questions that decision makers, thought leaders, academics and city dwellers continue to explore.
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