Democracy and the Future
Future-Regarding Governance in Democratic Systems
Published on 28. February 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
336 pages
978-1-3995-1275-6 (ISBN)
Description
This book brings together political philosophers, democratic theorists, empirical political scientists and policy experts to examine how democratic systems might be designed so that the long-term consequences of our decisions are considered in policymaking processes. It examines these topics from many different perspectives - it is interdisciplinary and globally oriented - but it also explores Finland as an example of how future-regarding governance might be done. Finland has one of the most advanced governmental foresight systems in the world, including a unique parliamentary institution called the 'Committee for the Future', and it has enjoyed a stable, multiparty government for decades. The contributors identify tensions between the present and the future, as well as between reversibility and commitment, independence and politicisation, and trust and critique, which have to be navigated in order to achieve long-term, collective goals. The book concludes that elite-driven institutions should be complemented by robust institutions for public participation and deliberation in order to retain responsiveness while at the same time forging public commitments for future-regarding action.
Reviews / Votes
This fascinating volume brings together leading political theorists and empirical researchers to illuminate the relationship between democracy and long-term decision-making. Starting from an analysis of the myriad tensions between democratic politics and future-regarding governance, the book goes on to unearth a variety of ways in which well-designed institutions, well-structured deliberations, and farsighted leaders can help democracies manage long-term societal challenges. The volume will be invaluable to both scholars and policymakers seeking to more strongly orient democratic politics toward the future. * Alan Jacobs, University of British Columbia *More details
Edition
New in Paperback
Language
English
Place of publication
Edinburgh
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
15 black and white illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 157 mm
Width: 234 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
514 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3995-1275-6 (9781399512756)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Michael K. MacKenzie is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Pittsburgh. His research interests include democratic theory, intergenerational relations, deliberation, environmental policy, political representation, institutional design, and public engagement. He is the author of Future Publics: Democracy, Deliberation, and Future-Regarding Collective Action, New York: Oxford University Press (2021) along with several other books, chapters and articles. Maija Setaelae is Professor in Political Science at the University of Turku. She specializes in democratic theory, with a focus on deliberative democracy, direct democracy, and democratic innovations. She is the author of Referendums and Democratic Government: Normative Theory and the Analysis of Institutions, Basingstoke: Macmillan Press (1999) and several other chapters and articles both in English
and Finnish.
Simo Kylloenen is Lecturer in Research Ethics and Open Science at the University of Helsinki. His main research topics are related to intergenerational justice, democratic theory and ethics of climate change. He has contributed to books and journals on climate change, intergenerational ethics and democracy.
and Finnish.
Simo Kylloenen is Lecturer in Research Ethics and Open Science at the University of Helsinki. His main research topics are related to intergenerational justice, democratic theory and ethics of climate change. He has contributed to books and journals on climate change, intergenerational ethics and democracy.
Content
Introduction: The Challenges and Possibilities of Future-Regarding GovernanceSimo Kylloenen, Michael K. MacKenzie and Maija SetaelaePart I: The Challenges of Long-Term Decision Making Chapter 1: Three Challenges for Long-Term Decision-Making in Democracies: Boundaries, Knowledge, and Incentives Mark E. WarrenChapter 2: Democratic Weakness of Will Eerik LagerspetzChapter 3: Reversibility and Democracy: The Epistemic Functions of Political Competition Alfred MooreChapter 4: The Covid-19 Pandemic and Global Climate Change - Comparing Two Long-Term Dangers Sven Ove HanssonPart II: Thinking and Acting in Future-Regarding Ways Chapter 5: Perspective-Taking, Deliberation, and Future Generations Kaisa HerneChapter 6: Hearing Silent Voices? Representing Identified and Statistical Policy Victims Claudia LandwehrChapter 7: Future-Regarding Democratic Leadership Michael K. MackenziePart III: Institutional Design Chapter 8: Democratic Design for Future-Regarding Institutions Graham SmithChapter 9: Democratic Institutions and Future Generations Didier Caluwaerts, and Daan VermassenPart IV: Long-Term Policymaking in Finland Chapter 10: The Finnish National Foresight System Vesa KoskimaaChapter 11: Voter Myopia Reassessed Lauri Rapeli12. Deliberative Minipublics and Climate Change PolicyMaija Setaelae, Katariina Kulha, Hilma SormunenChapter 13: Conclusion: Future-Regarding Governance - Four Tensions and a Research Agenda Michael K. MacKenzie, Simo Kylloenen, and Maija Setaelae