ABSTRACT
One of the functions of policy-orientated futures studies is to provide linkages between knowledge and policy-making. One possibility is to embed futures studies firmly in an organizational structure, in which futurists and policy planners engage in a formalized dialogue with clearly identified roles. Futurists are then part and parcel of an organizational framework, and the people who use the output of the studies are clearly identified and able to voice their demands with respect to the orientation and presentation of the studies. Policy-orientated futures studies are directly or in-indirectly related to the processes of policy-making and planning. And more often than not they are commissioned by one or more agencies or ministerial units. Another feature of relevance to the problem of the societal legitimacy of futures studies concerns the explicitly political characteristics of various types of forecasting, futures studies and policy analysis.
