Designing institutions for future generations: An introduction

Gonzalez Ricoy, Iñigo [UBarcelona] Gosseries, Axel [UCL]

(eng) This chapter presents the book’s goals and structure as well as key notions that should be kept in mind while going through the book’s seventeen proposals. Short-termism and the diversity of its types are introduced. Proposals of specialized, future-focused institutions are distinguished from those aimed at rendering non-specialist institutions more future-beneficial. Then endogenous strategies are distinguished from exogenous ones aimed at aligning the actions of institutional actors with the interests of future generations. The various types of mandate of such institutions are also explored. Moreover, three types of determinants of short-termism are separated out: epistemic, motivational and institutional ones. Finally, we consider the extent to which various types of institutional proposals are able to respond to inter- and intra-generational legitimacy concerns.