ABSTRACT
Although the first three industrial revolutions – from harnessing steam and machines in the 1760s to widespread electrification and mass production in the 1860s and, post World War II, to the digital age – totally transformed Western society, the impact of the fourth industrial revolution on civil society, the economy and human identity may be even more profound. In England an independent inquiry, 'Civil Society Futures', supported by a consortium of funders, aims 'broadly to develop a clear vision for the role of civil society'. According to the 'Civil Society Futures' chair, Julia Unwin, former chief executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation: 'civil society has historically adapted to meet changing times. It faces another time of massive, uncertain change', given 'the rise of the sharing economy and digital technology as elements that are influencing the landscape'. One of the strengths of the 'Civil Society Futures' inquiry is that members are open-minded about a future where 'different configurations come into being'.
