Report Outlines Major Trends and Implications for State Governments

For Immediate Release
June 6, 2005
Contact: Jack Penchoff
(859) 244-8246
jpenchoff@csg.org
10 change drivers will shape public policy for the next five years and beyond

Lake Tahoe, CA - The Council of State Governments released a new report today that outlines the major long-term trends shaping our society and their implications for state governments nationwide.

“We live in a time of incredible transition, in the midst of changes so profound we will only be able to fully understand them with hindsight. But that doesn’t mean we can’t prepare for what lies ahead,” said Daniel M. Sprague, the Council’s executive director.

Trends in America: Charting the Course Ahead was released in conjunction with CSG’s Spring National Committee and Task Force Meetings. It describes 10 major change drivers that will influence the direction of public policy in the next five years and beyond:

• Silver Society: Aging of America
• Immigrant Nation: Changing Face of America
• Growth Dynamics: Regional Hot Spots
• Economic Transformation: Knowledge is King
• Globalization Era: New Forces at Work
• Information Revolution: Sorting it Out
• Privacy and Security: A Balancing Act
• Resource Management: Sustaining Our Future
• Polarized Populace: Eroding Common Ground
• Ambiguous Authority: Who’s in Charge?

“While 21st century technology has revolutionized some important aspects of government, our basic institutional arrangements are grounded in an era long past,” said Sprague. “The challenge is for states and their institutions to become more flexible and responsive to the rapidly changing environment in which they operate.”

The report is available online at www.csg.org. In December, a follow-up report will identify innovative options states should consider to respond to fast emerging conditions and better anticipate those yet to come.

“We face a future that presents a number of uncertainties,” said Nevada Assemblyman Lynn Hettrick, CSG’s chair. “What is certain is that we must remain open to innovative solutions. Now more than ever, and for the foreseeable future, states will remain in the forefront testing adaptive responses to these critical questions.”

The Council of State Governments is the premier multibranch organization forecasting policy trends for the community of states, commonwealths and territories on a national and regional basis. CSG alerts state elected and appointed officials to emerging social, economic, and political trends; offers innovative state policy responses to rapidly changing conditions; and advocates multistate problem-solving to maximize resources and competitiveness. CSG promotes excellence in decision-making and leadership skills and champions state sovereignty.