Qualitative methodology as a tool for social forecasting: opportunities and limitations

Abstract

The publication is for scientific and informational purposes and reflects the positions of the leading researchers regarding qualitative methods and opportunities to use this methodology in social forecasting. In particular, the paper considers its cognitive capacity in social research practice, the role of expert knowledge as a major source of forecasting information, the areas of social forecasting available for the analysis, the opportunities of semantic analysis of the notion “future”, analytical schemes of forecasting as well as the role and the position of a sociologist using qualitative approach in research.