Deepening Democracy for the Long Term | By Graham Smith
The following is an extract from ‘Can Democracy safeguard the Future’—By Graham Smith, Polity Press, 2021. Participatory democracy would appear to be a counterintuitive approach to long-term governance. The short-sightedness of the public is widely viewed...
Young adults have dramatic loss of faith in UK democracy | A report by The Institute for Public Policy Research
FDSD believes that democracy needs to adapt in order to meet the challenges of sustainable development, but equally that democracy itself is a better away of achieving sustainable goals than autocracy. However, our current democratic system has been facing challenges...
Improving accountability to deliver Scotland’s National Outcomes
On the 10th of March 2022, the Scottish Leaders Forum (SLF) published a report on “Improving accountability and incentives to deliver the National Performance Framework (NPF) outcomes and live the values.” The forum includes over 300 senior leaders drawn from across...
President of Portugal commits to intergenerational fairness
On the 22nd March 2022 the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sous, announced that he is to champion intergenerational fairness. This announcement took part in an event hosted by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, who have been working with the School Of...
The launch of a Greater Manchester Community Wealth Hub
On the 16th March 2022 the Greater Manchester Combined Authority launched Manchester’s first Community Wealth Hub. The development of this hub arose from a recommendation of the Greater Manchester Independent Inequalities Commission to “Create a Community Wealth Hub...
Future Trends Report Wales 2021
The Future Trends Report Wales 2021 brings together possible future trends, drivers of change and potential risks across all sectors comprising the wellbeing of Wales. The report highlights intergenerational challenges to which Wales needs to respond and identifies...
The Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill | Third and final reading in the House of Lords
On the 4th February 2022 The Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill passed its final reading in the House of Lords. Lord Bird led the third and final reading of the Bill, which will now move to the House of Commons co-sponsored by Simon Fell MP, bringing it a...
Is the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act standing up to the test of time and delivering for future generations? | Blog by Peter Davies
The Wellbeing for Future Generations (Wales) Act became law in 2015. A previous FDSD blog reflected on development of the Act from my perspective as Sustainable Futures Commissioner for Wales from 2011-16, setting out its genesis in the devolution process. This is now...
Shaping the campaign for a UK Future Generations Act
FDSD was delighted to host a workshop at the University of Westminster to develop the campaign for the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act being led by Lord Bird. The event attracted representatives from around 30 organisations, including UK Student Climate Network,...
#TODAYFORTOMORROW | Lord Bird introduces Future Generations Bill
Our politics is too short-term. Our democracy seems unable to deal with long-term challenges. But change is at hand. With support from FDSD and other partners, The Big Issue founder, Lord Bird, has introduced the Future Generations Bill in the UK Parliament, and is...
Future Generations Podcast | Reasons to be Cheerful with FDSD trustee Andrea Westall
“When they go short-term, we go long-term…” FDSD trustee Andrea Westall recently joined Ed Miliband and Geoff Lloyd for their Reasons to be Cheerful Podcast, to discuss the urgent need for representation of future generations in today’s politics....
Democratic Reform, Intergenerational Justice and the Challenges of the Long-Term | Essay by Simon Caney
Philosophical essay by Simon Caney on the morality of prosperity, intertemporal politics and a re-imagination of our political life. Political life is dominated by ‘presentism’ and a focus on the short-term. This political myopia is harmful in two important ways....
#FuturesCymru2019: Wales leads on embedding futures in public policy | Blog by Cat Tully
Great to see Wales continuing to lead the way on embedding long-term thinking and foresight in public policy at last week’s #FuturesCymru2019 ‘Shaping the Future’ conference. Building on its Wellbeing of Future Generations Act 2015 and its unique appointment of a...
A call to do politics differently—Blog by Peter Davies
The 2015 Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act requires public bodies in Wales to incorporate public involvement in their decision making. The explicit emphasis on engaging the public reflects the strong views expressed in the national conversation of 2014 that...
Promoting public involvement in Wales | Blog by Bethan Smith
Bethan Smith is Goal Convenor for Involvement, Office for the Future Generations Commissioner, Wales. . . . Through the 2015 Well-being of Future Generations Act, all devolved public bodies in Wales are legally required to put sustainable development first; that is,...
Lord John Bird calls for Future Generations Act for the UK
Delivering the inaugural Well-being of Future Generations Commissioner for Wales’ Annual Lecture, The Big Issue founder and crossbench peer, John Bird, called for the approach to long-term thinking pioneered in Wales to be rolled out across the rest of...
Why we need a Committee for Future Generations in the House of Lords | Blog by Graham Smith
The Foundation for Democracy and Sustainable Development has proposed that the House of Lords establish a Committee for Future Generations to review legislation. It is hoped that such a body would reduce the short-termism that can creep into legislative and executive...
Bringing Future Generations into Today’s Politics | A workshop summary by Andrea Westall
On 19th April 2018, FDSD jointly held an event with the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries to ask “Will the Future Blame Us?” and how do we bring future generations into today’s politics. The audience, a mix of actuaries, academics, policy-makers and civil society,...
FDSD calls for a Committee for Future Generations in the House of Lords
For the first time in 25 years, the House of Lords Liaison Committee is reviewing the structure and function of committees in the second chamber. FDSD is making the most of the opportunity to propose a new Committee for Future Generations to bring long-term...Sign up for newsletter
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