Trends and Emerging Issues: Implications for Brunei Darussalam (2016)

This focused research was conducted and completed in 2016 by CSPS as part of an ongoing Foresight Study Project in order to: (1) identify current and emerging issues as well as trends likely to impact Brunei Darussalam in the near and medium term future, and (2) prioritise emerging issues and trends in order to provide specific future-oriented policy advice on a number of topics of concern.

Main policy recommendations are:

• Horizon scanning for emerging issues and trends needs to be comprehensive, ongoing and done across governmental sectors;
• The list of prioritised trends and emerging issues are as follows: failure to diversify, high unemployment, the future concept of work, Brunei Darussalam's ghost towns, population reaches 1 million, the end of jobs and social security, community disintegration, trade globalisation, big data is here, outbreaks of infectious diseases, imported terrorism and whole of government approach.

Findings have been socialised to about 130 stakeholders at a CSPS Forum in September 2016 and it has been accepted for publication in CSPS Strategy and Policy Journal Volume 6.

A Pack of Future Deckcards has been produced and CSPS intends to conduct interactions with education institutions, Government agencies and private sectors.

Alternative Futures for Brunei: Exploratory Development Scenarios (2016)

This research was conducted by CSPS as part of an ongoing Foresight Study Project in order to: (1) identify emerging issues and trends likely to impact Brunei Darussalam in the near and medium term future, (2) conduct thorough horizon scanning processes in order to provide more futures-oriented policy advice, (3) expand the current mindset from “more of the same”/”business as usual” approaches to strategic planning, and, (4) identify specific strategies and policies more likely to lead towards the fulfillment of the overall goals and the eight main strategies of Wawasan Brunei 2035.

Main policy recommendations are:

• A generic scenarios development method needs to be implemented across the board to better inform decision making processes, including in the context of very specific policy issue.
• The four alternative scenarios are Continued growth: oil now, oil tomorrow; Collapse: Diversification fails to materialise; Finding inspiration in the past: A disciplined and sustainable society; Transformed, Hi-tech future: Discovering virtual Brunei.

Results have been presented at the CSPS Forum (22 September 2016), TelBru ICT Forum (5 November 2016), Strategic Foresight and Strategic Planning Executive Workshop (24 November 2016). It has been accepted for publication in CSPS Strategy and Policy Journal Volume 6.

CSPS intends to conduct further socialisation and workshops to explore alternative futures for Brunei Darussalam.