Institutions for future generations

Abstract

This collection of essays is devoted to the diagnosis and therapy of what is widely considered a flaw of current Western democracies: short-termism—the prioritization of present over future benefits. Short-termism threatens to result in political decisions that fail in terms of intergenerational justice, such as not effectively counteracting climate change and incurring public debts. The bulk of the book consists of proposals for institutional changes aimed at more future-oriented policy-making. It provides an exhaustive overview of the most important institutional proposals as well as a systematic and theoretical discussion of their respective features and advantages.