IVA's President: A Shared Vision for the Future

Dear IVA Friends,

Although he has often been credited as saying: “Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come,” Victor Hugo was probably not the source of this exact phrase. In his seminal 1877 book, Histoire d’un crime, he says, however: “One can resist the invasion of armies, but one cannot resist the invasion of ideas.” The meaning of both is roughly the same. Ideas can spark movements that have the power to shape the future.

What can we learn from Victor Hugo and his thoughts on democracy, freedom, and popular self-government? About the importance of vision?

Today, with only 73 days until Swedes go to the polls, we are in the midst of an election campaign. I have the utmost respect for our political parties and their representatives. Sweden stands out on the world stage as a country relatively free from corruption and abuse of power, and that is something we should be proud of and protect.

An election campaign has its own inherent logic and dynamics – that’s something we need to understand. But right now, I’m struck by the lack of vision in political discourse, not only in Sweden but also in many other democracies. How will we live in the future? What should we strive for? And how will we support ourselves? That’s a dimension I would like to see addressed, and I don’t think I’m alone in this. In Germany, for example, the government established a special investment fund of 500 billion euros in 2025 for infrastructure and climate neutrality. When the government’s expert group recently evaluated how the money had been used so far, a key criticism was the lack of a common strategic vision for the investments.

The question of what we will live on in the future is something that IVA has taken seriously. A welfare state built on democracy, peace, and freedom requires economic room to maneuver, which in turn is enabled by a competitive and innovative business sector. It also requires technological strength, which is becoming increasingly crucial to Sweden’s and Europe’s ability to shape their own futures. 

Sweden as a global leader in technology and innovation by 2035 – this is the goal of IVA’s major vision project Swedish Futures, which we launched earlier this year. IVA has brought together broad segments of Swedish society: the business sector, government agencies, academia, labor market partners, research funders, non-profit organizations, and many others are contributing to answer the questions: How can Sweden secure its position as a global leader in technology and innovation well into the future? What investments and priorities do we need to make today to get there? Democracy needs a shared narrative of the future, as one of France’s most influential historians of ideas, Pierre Rosanvallon, has said – and I believe he is right. We need a shared vision for the future. 

Former West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, who was a realist and a pragmatist, proposed another perspective on vision. He viewed politics primarily as a means to solve real problems and make realistic decisions. Famously, he said, “Anyone who has visions should go to the doctor.” Unfortunately, I must note that the election campaign so far has been more in the vein of Helmut Schmidt than Pierre Rosanvallon – lacking in vision and the ability to think beyond the next budget. 

Those of you who regularly read my writings know that I am not particularly nostalgic. But we can all look back on a Europe led by politicians with visions worthy of inspiration. France’s Charles de Gaulle and Germany’s Willy Brandt are a couple of examples. Gro Harlem Brundtland – with the UN report on a sustainable future (“Our Common Future”)—is another. Ursula von der Leyen is a prime example of a contemporary visionary.

On Saturday, the United States will celebrate its 250th anniversary. The US was the world’s first major modern republic whose vision was built on popular sovereignty, constitutional government, and individual rights. Or as Abraham Lincoln put it in the mid-1800s: “Government of the people, by the people, for the people.” A vision worth learning from.

The conversation about our shared vision is too important to leave to those who focus solely on dystopias. It is a matter of concern for all of us – for us as citizens, but also (or perhaps above all) for decision-makers in all spheres of society. Václav Havel put it elegantly: “Politics is [in fact] something greater than [mere] administration.”

IVA’s vision project Swedish Futures is a forum where we look ahead and dare to imagine the future we want. Our ambition is to paint a vision for Sweden as a global leader in technology and innovation, while maintaining democracy and the resources needed to build a strong and sustainable society. I look forward to continuing this work in the fall. At IVA, arguments are debated, visions are formulated, and bold and disruptive conversations take place. I hope you will all want to be part of our movement. 

/Sylvia Schwaag Serger, Professor, President of IVA