Towards 2020 and Beyond
This note focuses on policy drivers leading towards 2020 and beyond. It looks at the relationship between UK policy and the following drivers: people (demographics), technological change, climate change, resource security and sustainability, inequality, and governance issues.
Briefing
The objective of this note is to set out a number of overarching trends in a globalised and rapidly changing world that are likely to be of legislative importance towards 2020 and beyond. It focuses on:
- People – the projected increase of the population, both in the UK and globally. There are also trends towards
increasing longevity, resulting in an ageing population and a larger proportion of people above retirement age. - Technological change – for example the ongoing rise in computing power and the growth in the number of devices that are connected to the internet, which have helped to fuel a massive rise in data collection and use.
- Climate change – the increasing impacts of rising greenhouse gas levels in the Earth’s atmosphere is projected to cause more extreme weather patterns both in the UK and globally.
- Resource security and sustainability – increasing pressure on natural capital (such as land and water) and rising demand for resources such as food and energy.
- Inequality – variations in the measures of income inequality, and its impact across a range of policy areas including education and health.
- Governance issues – such as new global tensions, the future of the UK, its relationship with the EU and changes in the way that public services are delivered.
Documents