Today we’re meeting with Emiliano Rodriguez Nuesch, Director of Pacifico.
Pacifico uses creativity to help understand risk in new ways and drive behavioral change. They tap into culture to draw people’s attention and trigger meaningful conversations about the environment.
Emiliano Rodriguez Nuesch emphasizes that public institutions play a pivotal role in addressing the rapid transformations and disruptions reshaping the world.
To navigate uncertainty and provide security, institutions must embrace innovation.
As vehicles for delivering complex solutions, public institutions are powered by collective intelligence – a resource that can only be fully harnessed through collaboration.
According to Rodriguez Nuesch, every field is affected by current global challenges and therefore requires new ways of thinking.
Yet, he identifies short-termism and a lack of imagination regarding alternative futures as critical barriers to innovation.
This “crisis of imagination” presents not only a challenge but an opportunity to experiment with novel approaches.
He highlights behavioral science as one promising avenue, offering evidence-based insights into human decision-making and the measurable impacts of interventions.
A particularly unconventional approach that Rodriguez Nuesch will bring to IID 2025 is the use of magic and illusionism as a metaphor for managing uncertainty.
Drawing on his background in disaster risk reduction, he explains how illusionists deploy strategies such as scenario planning, contingency design, and multiple exit routes – practices that can inform how institutions prepare for unpredictable environments.
Ultimately, Rodriguez Nuesch advocates for a paradigm shift from reactive crisis response to anticipatory risk management.
By fostering imagination, embracing diverse disciplines, and investing in preparedness, institutions can better equip societies to navigate the uncertainties of the future.
About the Istanbul Innovation Days 2025
The Istanbul Innovation Days 2025 convenes global leaders, thinkers, and innovators who are shaping institutional change and resilience in an increasingly complex world.
This short series highlights key voices exploring the pressures driving institutional evolution and the barriers that stand in the way.
From real-world examples to the challenge of anticipating crises before they unfold, these discussions explore how institutions can adapt to meet the demands of the future.
