Nesta: The Uk's Independent Innovation Foundation

With so much coverage of declining public confidence in democratic institutions, how can a new generation of policymakers use tech to engage with citizens, make better decisions and rebuild trust? Joining Nesta's Nigel Campbell to discuss this are Tanja Aitamurto, Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and author of Crowdsourcing for Democracy: A New Era in Policy-Making, Theo Bass, Researcher in Nesta's Research, Analysis and Policy Team, looking into ways that tech can improving citizen engagement, and how data and technology are changing the nature of policy making and democracy. We also hear from Audrey Tang, Digital Minister for Taiwan on vTaiwan, a pioneering open consultation process bringing civil society organisations and citizens together with elected representatives and others to help lawmakers implement decisions with a greater degree of legitimacy.

Nesta recently held an event showcasing ten predictions for 2019 covering health, the future of the working week, the deepening role of artificial intelligence in our lives and more. Each year, Nesta experts identify the trends, tech breakthroughs and social movements they expect to gain traction in the following twelve months. This year's predictions once more covered technologies and trends that would once be dismissed as science fiction but are now set to tip over into mainstream acceptance. Nesta's Nigel Campbell met with a few of our experts to chat about their predictions, as well as talking with Nesta Chief Executive Geoff Mulgan and Director of Explorations Celia Hannon about why we make predictions. Read Nesta's predictions for 2019 Enjoying Future Curious? Subscribe and share!

As technology transforms the world we live in, is the education system doing enough to keep up? Students at school today will have to find their feet in a very different workplace as the rate of automation increases and working structures change. How can we make sure children today are equipped with the skills needed to succeed in the future? Joining Nesta's Nigel Campbell to discuss this are Joysy John, Director of Education at Nesta Tom Ravenscroft, Founder and CEO of Enabling Enterprise, an organisation which implements a more practical, project-based way of learning. Tom founded Enabling Enterprise in 2009 whilst teaching Business and Enterprise in a secondary school in Hackney. We also hear from Zarina, a 17 year old student taking part in the Debate Mate scheme, which teaches debate exclusively in schools with an above average Free School Meals rate. The organisation seeks to “tackle educational disadvantage” through debating.

Are you curious about what our shared future holds? If so, the new Future Curious podcast from Nesta could be right up your street. In this thought-provoking but chatty podcast, we bring together leading experts and radical thinkers to discuss the big issues that will affect our future, and what we can all do about them. Each week, Future Curious will bring new insights, challenge existing wisdom and explore new thinking into some of the most challenging issues of our time.   We'll be bringing you the first episode very soon, so subscribe now to hear it first!