Darren Halpin

Many of the most pressing policy problems of our time, such as climate change, use of nuclear energy, or deployment of AI, to name but a few, require actions by present generations to avoid long-term negative consequences for future generations. For decades, global institutions, scientific panels of experts, and governmental bodies, have warned that meeting present needs must not come at the cost of future generations. It is crucial that our representative democratic systems find a way to politically represent future generations in considering responses to policy challenges. After all, in the absence of countervailing pressure from advocates of future generations, why would present citizens endure short-run losses for long-run gains? This project investigates the practice and potential for the organised interest (OI) system – made up of interest groups, think tanks, and social movements – to represent future generations, and maps implications for public policy.