The ECPR Research Network on Political Anticipation aims at aggregating research fellows, research groups, and research works approaching all currently known paradigms of studying the possible, probable, wild, and preferable futures. Research which concerns issues of anticipation and is relevant for political research is rather distributed in many scientific areas either closely connected, like the social sciences or rather distant, like climate change or medical research. 

In political research, the classic paradigm of prediction is still the most powerful with its enormous resources of impressive empirical data, analysis methodologies, and theory able to make prediction on various issues concerning future situations with the aim of avoiding or tackling risks, identify alternative solutions, and improve policy reach and outcome. However, the complexity of the real situation and phenomena goes far beyond determinism or even non-determinism. Future studies, also characterized as ‘possible’, ‘probable’ and – most interesting! – ‘preferable’ futures describe many areas in which theoretical and methodological research on anticipation has been developing. 

Besides the aim of aggregating and unifying a corpus of theory and methodology in political anticipation, our research network aims at emphasizing the relevance and high utility of such studies for political science, especially at a time when digitalization not only that has penetrated all dimensions of our daily life, but has also raised questions on how the political organization, and participation would look like in this new era? – It is our aim to configure a European core of political anticipation research which could include students and experts from different areas but united by their interest in developing the necessary resources and types of expertise for the design of a political space of the future.

Our short-term objectives are therefore based on the idea of building up collaboration between individuals and groups developing research in various futures and anticipation areas in Europe and the world: participating in ECPR general conference and joint sessions of workshops would provide for the appropriate framework of collaboration which could foster communication and presentation of research issues and outcomes. Our new series of RNPA Lectures and Webinars, as well as our Newsletter would also add a conceptual space to this ECPR collaboration framework. 

Our long-term objectives address the need for the foundation of projects, programs and institutions for political anticipation research which could systematically develop this ECPR framework. The elaboration of political anticipation packages of courses and seminars for the ECPR Winter and Summer Method Schools would be one of our fundamental objectives meant as a competence-building program.