The 2020 Public Services Trust at the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce (RSA) commissioned Trajectory to explore citizen demand for, and the challenges facing, public services in 2020 in the context of the anticipated budget tightening measures to be implemented in the UK.
The report, published in 2009, used a scenario planning methodology to understand which trends would be the most important drivers of change in society over the next decade, and how the needs, aspirations and risks of citizens are likely to change by 2020. Scenario planning is a strategic planning method that many organisations use to make flexible long-term plans when outcomes are likely to be the result of complex relationships between variables. Experts are asked to rate trends and developments by their impact and their certainty, harnessing the wisdom of the crowd to create long-term strategy.
Several scenarios were produced – similar to a principal projection with pessimistic and optimistic projections – and likely pressures, impacts and opportunities brought with these hypothetical futures are detailed in the report.