The  Institute for Alternative Futures (IAF) has developed scenarios for  social and economic vulnerability in the U.S. and is seeking comments before these scenarios are finalized. The scenarios provide alternative futures for the year 2030, and were developed with funding from the  Robert Wood Johnson Foundations Vulnerable Populations Portfolio.

The scenarios incorporate IAFs research on key factors shaping  vulnerability, including the state of the economy, employment and unemployment, education, food and diet, technology, and criminality and  corrections.They include an expectable future where the government  is constrained by debt and the ranks of the vulnerable grow; a  challenging future with a double-dip recession and expanding disparities  in health, wealth, and income; a more equitable future where government efforts help ensure all Americans have access to a baseline of  resources; and a community-focused future where local efforts enable  nearly everyone to achieve his or her full potential.

IAF is now soliciting public comment on these scenarios from January 11, 2011 through January 24, 2011. The final scenarios will be released in March 2011. The scenarios can be found on the project website at www.altfutures.org/vulnerability2030 and comments can be sent via e-mail to yarikan@altfutures.org. Once the scenarios have been finalized, IAF will release a “toolkit”  for use by organizations in their own long-term planning. The toolkit  will include instructions, exercises and worksheets, and a series of  videos to put participants in the mental space associated with each of  the scenarios.  This toolkit will be released in March 2011 and will be  available to the public on the project website.