Megatrend / Trend / Driver / Issue

Trend is a general tendency or direction of a development or change over time. It can

be called a megatrend if it occurs at global or large scale. A trend may be strong or
weak, increasing, decreasing or stable. There is no guarantee that a trend observed in
the past will continue in the future.

Megatrends are the great forces in societal development that will very likely affect
the future in all areas over the next 10-15 years. Megatrend is also defined as a large,
social, economic, political, environmental or technological change that is slow to
form. Once in place, megatrends influence a wide range of activities, processes and
perceptions, both in government and in society, possibly for decades. They are the
underlying forces that drive trends. (i.e. aging population)

A trend – in contrast – is an emerging pattern of change likely to impact large social

groups or even state government and require a response. “Trends are experienced by
everyone and often in more or less the same contexts insofar as they create broad
parameters for shifts in attitudes, policies and business focus over periods of several
years that usually have global reach. What is interesting about trends is that normally
most players, organizations or even nations cannot do much to change them – they
are larger than the power of individual organizations and often nation states as well”
(e.g. urbanization, demographic change)

Drivers are defined as developments causing change, affecting or shaping the future.
A driver is the cause of one or more effects, e.g. increasing sugar intake in our daily
food consumption is a driver for obesity.

An issue is a controversial, debatable or “hot” topic or an innovative state action (i.e

step/s taken by a government in the name of common interest of the people of a
state). (e.g. block chain)