Stakeholders and Their Participation in Foresight Projects

With the expansion of the scope of foresight research, the role and importance of various participants in the relevant projects and the users of their results - stakeholders - simultaneously increase. Whereas previously a significant part of foresight projects were carried out with the involvement of professional experts, in many recent studies the circle of their participants is becoming more diverse and an increasing role belongs to members of the public and other potential beneficiaries. This article explores the theory and best practices of applying the stakeholder analysis method in foresight projects, and an attempt is made to systematically characterize this approach. The place and role of various stakeholders in foresight projects are considered, the main problems, opportunities, and recommendations for using the method are assessed, and the features of its application in conjunction with other foresight methods are characterized.