The future of society in the Federal Republic of Germany has been the subject of a debate initiated and facilitated in 2001 by IG Metall, the country's trade union for the metal industry. In this context the Hans Böckler Foundation has commissioned scientific studies on the future of several areas: labor unions, work, the economy, the policy-making system, and society. nexus is inquiring into the scholarly discussion about the future of policy and the future of society.

The overviews provided in these studies identify, classify, and interpret the actors, focal points, defining movements, and trends of the future in policy-making and society. The study on the future of policy treats political forms of regulation, government and governance, and network structures at the global, European, and national levels. The scientific positions and trends relating to the future development of society focus on the developments of the knowledge society, mobile society, civil society, and multicultural society.