The papers in this Special Issue demonstrate the large variety of approaches connected to regional development and foresight, as well as the complexity and interconnectivity of the world we live in. Examples from Russia, Ireland, Latin America, and Finland demonstrate hw people far apart are faced with similar questions and problems. The answers and solutions naturally vary from region to region, but in the globalised world, regions are surprisingly similar. This notion makes us ask if we indeed are imprisoned in a common iron cage of global economy.