Research Advisor
Foundations for Tomorrow
10 months | Australia
Ethnographic Research | Policy Case Studies | Casual Layered Analysis
Portraits of Our Future is a policy futures initiative by Foundations for Tomorrow that explores how lived experience can inform long-term policymaking in Australia. Policy debates are often fragmented, short-term in horizon and disconnected from lived realities.
The project develops a structured methodology that integrates lived experience, systemic analysis, intergenerational fairness and speculative futures into actionable policy insights. It presents 15 narrative portraits of Australians from diverse backgrounds, combining personal stories with policy analysis to examine how current systems shape long-term societal outcomes.
As a Research Advisor, I led the application of Narrative Causal Layered Analysis and curated the Policy Innovation Library with accompanying case studies for each portrait.
Approach
I worked at the intersection of qualitative research and futures analysis, focusing on translating lived experience into structured policy insight.
I applied Narrative Causal Layered Analysis (CLA) to each portrait, moving beyond surface-level stories to uncover underlying systemic drivers, worldviews and cultural narratives shaping individual experiences. This enabled a deeper understanding of how personal trajectories are linked to broader policy and societal structures.
In parallel, I conducted research on policy case studies and global examples of how governments have navigated similar transitions. These insights informed the curation of the Policy Innovation Library, connecting lived experiences with relevant policy interventions and precedents.
Through this process, I translated narrative insights into actionable pathways, bridging qualitative storytelling with futures-oriented policy analysis and ensuring outputs were both analytically rigorous and accessible to policymakers.
Impact
The project produced 15 intergenerational policy portraits that combined lived experience with systemic and policy analysis, offering a new way to connect personal narratives with structural challenges. Through this work, the project developed a replicable analytical sequencing methodology (FGSA) for integrating narrative into policy analysis, demonstrating how lived experience can move from the margins to the centre of policy conversations.
By situating individual experiences within broader governance systems, the work highlighted how narrative analysis can contribute to more reflective and future-oriented policy discussions.
The work forms part of the broader National Conversation in Australia about civic participation and long-term thinking in governance.