Our democracies repeatedly fail to safeguard the future. From pensions to pandemics, health and social care through to climate, biodiversity and emerging technologies, democracies have been unable to deliver robust policies for the long term.
In his new book, Can Democracy Safeguard the Future?, FDSD chair Prof Graham Smith asks why.
Exploring the drivers of short-termism, he considers ways of reshaping legislatures and constitutions and proposes strengthening independent offices whose overarching goals do not change at every election. More radically, Smith argues that forms of participatory and deliberative politics offer the most effective democratic response to the current political myopia, as well as a powerful means of protecting the interests of generations to come.
Launch Event
FDSD and the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity held an event on 20 May 2021 to mark the launch of the book; with guest speakers including Indra Adnan, Nitasha Kaul, and Jonathon Porritt. The video of the event can be accessed below. Get a 20% discount on “Can Democracy Safeguard the Future”, purchasing direct from Wiley’s website (Discount code: SMI21).
