Can Democracy Safeguard the Future?

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 this book, 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.

Table of contents: Acknowledgements Chapter 1: Failing to Deal with the Long-Term Chapter 2:  Reimagining Established Institutions Chapter 3: Bringing in an Independent Voice Chapter 4: Deepening Democracy for the Long-Term Afterword: Democratic Design for Future Generations Further Reading Notes