ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book addresses the changes, that are likely to come and that will influence society, business and work. It discusses different ways of building knowledge about social and economic change. The book also discusses the special role of social science in providing valid knowledge for the future. It shows that the approach to the issues would be practical and organisational, methodological and philosophical. The innovation discourses in national debates, as well as in the European Union and international organisations, have provided arguments for increased globalisation and market-driven development. They assume that the past is a reliable guide to the future. However, the discourse has been insufficient in its handling of comprehensiveness and inter-relatedness of social and economic change. Those with a focus on technology may have neglected basic human issues; those who focus on sustainability often neglect social and political organisation.
