Drawing on United Kingdom (UK) engagement and international case studies, including devolved and place-based perspectives, this paper identifies core design principles and eight key characteristics of successful long-term strategy-making, and develops them into practical lessons and proposed design features for reforming democratic governance.

Each of the eight characteristics of long-term national strategy-making are unpacked in practical detail. A review of case studies from around the world provides examples of specific achievements, practices or experiences that embody or shed light on different aspects of the practice of national strategy.

The paper concludes by summarising what can be learned, advancing the view of 17 specific design features that need to be worked into any practice of national strategy, as well as laying the groundwork for system reforms that could help transform democracies like the UK to be more long-termist, more strategic and more capable at navigating the challenges ahead.

Characteristics of national strategy

1. Rooted in inheritance and comparative analysis
2. Outward-facing
3. Future-oriented
4. Confident with uncertainty
5. Enabling proper choices
6. Open
7. Embracing rapid learning
8. National endeavour.