Prospective et décision publiques en Suède

This article is the third in the series started in June 2004 by Futuribles, in partnership with the Aleph group of the French Commissariat général du Plan. The aim of the series is to enlighten readers about what is going on in the area of futures studies and strategic thinking applied to public policy-making in other countries. As in the two earlier articles, devoted to Germany and Ireland respectively, the article focuses on the role of the wide range of bodies engaged in research and consultancy which are contributing to the design of public policies and to thinking about the political, economic and social issues involved in the medium and long term, this time in Sweden.
Sandrine Paillard describes the different agencies engaged in future studies in Sweden, stressing in particular their great independence of the political authorities. She shows, too, the key role played by future studies in the design of public policies as these agencies contribute to a better understanding of the issues on the part of the general public and encourage the various groups involved to work together in drawing up public policies.