Designing a Future Economy

A problem with 'design' and with 'technology' is that it's often regarded as simply a matter of clever 'tinkering' with the system ...
Futures Forum: The techno-fix ... Can we engineer our way out of environmental catastrophe? Or ... Can we 'design for the real world'?

... rather than challenging any the fundamental paradigms: 
Futures Forum: "The quiet realization of Ivan Illich's ideas in the contemporary commons movement "
Futures Forum: Open Source Ecology >>> Homebrew Industrial Revolution >>> Do-it-yourself sustainable development

The Design Council does indeed go a little deeper:
Futures Forum: Designing an open society

As do others:
> The 'circular economy':
Ideo Says The Future Of Design Is Circular - FastCompany
The Great Recovery | Re-designing the future
Learn how to design for the circular economy - What Design Can Do
Circular economy by design - Blog | Philips
> The 'fourth industrial revolution':
What emerging economies can teach us about designing better innovation policies | World Economic Forum
> Work:
Prosperity By Design : Democracy Journal
Designing the future of work – Urgent Futures – Medium
> The 'sharing economy':
Design thinking & the sharing economy | Implement Consulting Group

The Design Council has just released a further study on the value of 'design':

Wednesday 6 December   |

Groundbreaking skills research launching today Today we have published Designing a Future Economy, an unprecedented study which presents a powerful picture about the value of design. At a time when we are searching for answers to the productivity puzzle, this research provides direction and practical opportunities to change course. Our analysis shows that workers with design skills contribute over £209 billion in GVA to the UK economy and that people who use design skills are 47% more productive than the average UK worker, delivering almost £10 extra output per hour. "Design thinking is the science of the 21st century so using that approach for problem solving is the way in which businesses will reinvent themselves." - Matthew Candy Vice President, IBM iX However, alongside the good news on design skills is evidence of an emerging skills gap twinned with a narrowing of the talent pipeline. The research finds that skills shortages and gaps amongst those already working in design-skilled occupations cost the UK economy £5.9bn per year. This is at a time when the number of students taking GCSE Design and Technology has fallen by 61% since 2000, and between 2011/12 and 2015/16, the number of people leaving higher education with undergraduate or postgraduate qualifications in creative arts and design subjects fell by 7%. The report sets out what we believe can be done to reverse the decline from incorporating design into STEM subjects and improving support for design skills within career-long learning. We really want to hear your views, please join the debate at #DesignSkills.  Download the executive summary Download Design Council's Designing a Future Economy executive summary for detailed analysis on the value of design skills.  How do we define design skills? Read how Design Council's Research and Evaluation Manager Stephen Miller defines and identifies design skills. Designing a future economy website Visit our website for full details on why the report matters, to explore the data framework or to review our FAQs.

Groundbreaking skills research launching today - Design Council

Here's another view of how to design the future economy - from 25 years ago:

Design For A Sustainable Economics

See also:
Design theory - Wikipedia
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