Think Forward: Conversations with Futurists, Innovators and Big Thinkers

Think Forward EP 130: Futures of Democracy with Jake Dunagan

Apr 21, 2025

Jake Dunagan, a visionary in futures thinking and political systems, reveals how experiential futures can transform governance for the 21st century. He reflects on his unique journey from anthropology to political design, sparked by a radical manuscript on "Quantum Politics." Dunagan emphasizes the need to rethink democracy, showcasing projects like the Hawaii 2050 initiative and a pandemic simulation that shaped public health readiness. He advocates for emotional connections to future possibilities, pushing for innovative governance solutions to current challenges.

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ANECDOTE

Discovering Futures via Quantum Politics

Jake Dunagan found futures studies after discovering a manuscript on "Quantum Politics" during his anthropology studies.
This manuscript inspired his interest in redesigning the U.S. Constitution based on uncertainty principles.

ADVICE

Navigating Government Futures Challenges

Overcome government futures work barriers by addressing cultural risk aversion and structural disincentives.
Encourage long-term planning despite short evaluation cycles and fear of failure.

ANECDOTE

Immersive Futures for Hawaii 2050

The Hawaii 2050 project created immersive experiences of radically different futures to help people emotionally connect to possible outcomes.
This approach aimed to make future possibilities "stick" in people’s gut, not just their intellect.

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Jake Dunegan, a visionary operating at the intersection of futures thinking and political systems, shares how experiential futures can help us reimagine governance for the 21st century challenges we face.

Drawing from his fascinating journey from anthropology to futures studies, Dunegan shares the moment he discovered a manuscript on "Quantum Politics" that proposed revolutionary ideas about constitutional design based on uncertainty rather than mechanistic balance. This epiphany eventually led him to establish the Governance Futures Lab at the Institute for the Future, where he pushes for nothing less than a renaissance in political system design thinking.

Background in anthropology exploring fundamental questions about why people do what they do
Discovered futures studies through a manuscript on "Quantum Politics" that proposed redesigning the US Constitution
Co-created the Reconstitutional Convention in 2013 to bring together diverse thinkers to redesign political systems
Developed experiential futures approaches to make possible tomorrows tangible today
Led the Hawaii 2050 project creating immersive experiences of alternative futures
Created pandemic simulations years before COVID-19 that explored prioritization of vaccines
Founded the Governance Futures Lab at Institute for the Future to support political system design
Believes our current governance structures aren't equipped for 21st-century challenge
Emphasizes the importance of emotional connection to future possibilities, not just intellectual understanding
Advocates for embedding futures thinking throughout our systems rather than treating it as a specialized activity
And we find out where the best tacos and food trucks are in Austin, Texas

The conversation explores Dunegan's groundbreaking work in experiential futures—creating immersive, tangible experiences that help people feel possible futures rather than just intellectually understand them. From the Hawaii 2050 project that created four radically different versions of Hawaii's future to pandemic simulations developed years before COVID-19, Dunegan demonstrates how making futures visceral can change decision-making in profound ways.

Find Jake at jakedunegan.com or on BlueSky as dunegan23.

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🎧 Listen Now On:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/think-forward-conversations-with-futurists-innovators-and-big-thinkers/id1736144515

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IOn8PZCMMC04uixlATqoO

Web: https://thinkforward.buzzsprout.com/

Thank you for joining me on this ongoing journey into the future. Until next time, stay curious, and always think forward.