A new world is rising – power, consciousness, and the renewal of the human story

This Open Access book investigates how to build a narrative for progressive social change. It asks a central question: What would it take to create a society that delivers flourishing lives for all? Drawing on extensive original research conducted in the UK and internationally, the book examines how, in a time of global “permacrisis”, no convincing plan has yet emerged to prevent a slide into dystopia or to create a positive vision for collective well-being. While governments around the world appear to have run out of ideas about how to build a good society, people and organizations across civil society are actively developing them. This book describes their efforts and outlines how their work can contribute to meaningful systems change.

Author: Barry Knight, Adviser to the GFCF and Visiting Professor at the University of Staffordshire

Published by: Palgrave Macmillan

Published: 2026

Download: A new world is rising – power, consciousness, and the renewal of the human story