Roman Krznaric’s new book, The Good Ancestor: How to Think Long Term in a Short-Term World, explores six ways we can expand our time horizons to confront the great long-term challenges of our age, from the climate crisis to threats from new technologies and the next...
Foundation for Democracy and Sustainable Development
We are a UK-based think tank that explores and helps build the relationship between flourishing democracy and sustainable development. Through research, advocacy and dialogue, we build the evidence and make the connections needed to secure fairness for all and a healthy environment, now and in the future.
A call to do politics differently
FDSD has long supported the wider use of participatory and deliberative processes. Citizens’ assemblies for example have a vital role to play in kick-starting the tough steps needed to respond to the climate emergency, but the detail of how they will work is critical.
Public Participation
Knowledge Network on Climate Assemblies (KNOCA) launched
Climate Assemblies are increasingly being used in a variety of different European countries at different scales of governance to inform policy responses and social action on climate change. The European Climate Foundation has launched the Knowledge Network on Climate Assemblies (KNOCA) as a ‘go to’ place for those seeking considered, rigorous and widely-sourced input on their design and implementation. FDSD’s own Professor Graham Smith has been appointed as the founding chair of the network. —Read more.
Economics is for Everyone!
The economy is an area of decision-making fiercely protected by experts and politicians from public participation. But public confidence in this closed policy community is waning and arguments for democratic participation in an area that so profoundly shapes all our lives are growing. Here, Graham Smith is reflecting on his work with the RSA Citizens’ Economic Council. —Read more.
Pickering and the flood that didn’t happen
Citizen participation and its critics—John Lotherington reflects on the ongoing debate about the impact of the community-led flood defences in Pickering after the town was spared the flooding that hit large parts of northern England in late-2015.—Read more.
Thinking systemically about deliberative democracy and climate change
Deliberative democracy is a collaborative and effective way to develop the concerted, ambitious and creative action needed to respond to climate change. Drawing on his experience in organising mini-publics in Canada, David Kahane notes, that in order to achieve these aims, deliberative approaches need to adopt the tools of system design and thinking to enable people to better understand complex problems and implement action through experimentation and learning. —Read more.
Giving tomorrow’s citizens a voice today
What we do today affects our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. These future generations will have to live with the environments, economies and societies that we leave them – and we have a shared responsibility to pass on something worth having.
Future Generations
Future Generations Commissioners: Learning Lessons from Wales
Peter Davies offers personal reflections on his role in the development of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales within the broader story of the journey of devolution—a journey that started with the duty to promote sustainable development in the initial Government of Wales Act. — Read more.
The Necessity and Powers of Future Generations Organisations
The imminent ecological crises and our consumer society’s lack of receptivity to this bad news mean that an independent, authentic voice is needed to represent the interests of future generations. Sándor Fülöp draws on his experience as Hungarian Ombudsman to explain the necessity and powers of a future generations organisation. — Read more.
Democratic Reform, Intergenerational Justice and the Challenges of the Long-Term
Philosophical essay by Simon Caney on the morality of prosperity, intertemporal politics and a re-imagination of our political life. — Read more.
#FuturesCymru2019: Wales leads on embedding futures in public policy
Wales is continuing to lead the way on embedding long-term thinking and foresight in public policy, Cat Tully writes in her blog, reporting from the #FuturesCymru2019 ‘Shaping the Future’ conference — Read more.
FDSD Proposal: Committee for Future Generations in the House of Lords
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 decision-making. —Read more.
What We’re Reading
#futuregen—Lessons from a Small Country | By Jane Davidson
In #futuregen, Jane Davidson explains how, as Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing in Wales, she proposed what became the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 – the first piece of legislation in history to place regenerative and...
Prosperity without Growth – Foundations for the Economy of Tomorrow | By Tim Jackson
A new edition of Prosperity Without Growth—the landmark work on post-growth economics by Prof Tim Jackson—was launched on 19 December. The publication of Prosperity without Growth in 2009 marked a critical intervention in the sustainability debate. Tim Jackson openly...
Our People
The Foundation for Democracy and Sustainable Development is led by a group of trustees who are also directors of the company. The Chair of the board of trustees is Graham Smith.
The Challenge
At one level, the ideas and reality of sustainable development and democracy overlap and are interdependent. Common to both sustainable development and democracy is participation—the ability of all people to come together and be involved in decisions about how we live and the goals we want to achieve as societies. There are also tensions and differences between the two ideas which need to be resolved in order for current political democratic systems to adapt in the direction of achieving sustainable development.
News & Updates
Levelling up – what will it mean for future generations? | Blog by John Lotherington
There are crucial questions to assess how well the Levelling Up strategy will serve the needs and interests of future as well as present generations, FDSD trustee John Lotherington writes. The recently published White Paper is a start, but there are still too many ways in which it is stuck in the past rather than preparing the way for future generations.
Time to reconcile conflict and collaboration—some insights from mediation | Blog by Andrea Westall
Extending the range of practical innovations in democracy to fully tackle the complex challenges we are facing, will need a range of skills, tools and techniques. Neither the current ‘wave’ of deliberation, nor adapted alternative dispute resolution processes, will be enough by themselves, Andrea Westall writes, but combining insights from the variety of deliberative and participative approaches available, together with ways of working through, and with, sometimes profound differences, may well be.
Designing for impact: the next stage for climate assemblies| Blog by Graham Smith
If the recent COP26 tells us anything, it’s that different ways of making hard decisions about our shared futures are needed. Too often critical decisions are made through last minute compromises, hammered out amongst small groups of negotiators behind closed doors, with the voices of those who are most vulnerable to the ravages of the climate crisis excluded…
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 well documented by Jane Davidson, the then Minster, in her book Lessons from a Small Country.
Beyond COP26: what next on Scotland’s sustainable development journey? | Blog by Paul Bradley
We need to forge connections to help us draw on the successes, failures, and experiences of others playing similar roles across the UK and beyond, FDSD trustee Paul Bradley writes. It will also allow us to share lessons from our journey here in Scotland.
Launch of new report and ICEN network on climate engagement
The Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University in Canada has published the report Can Public Participation Accelerate the Transition to Net-Zero?: Innovations and Challenges for Advancing the Field of Climate Engagement. The report aims to inspire and support governments and practitioners in their climate engagement work and inform the creation of the International Climate Engagement Network (ICEN).
Localising the Global Goals | FDSD session at UN Global Compact Network conference on Responsible Business and SDGs
The SDGs have only 9 more years to go, but they are still not integrated into local government strategy and delivery in England. To help explore why, and share good practice, FDSD worked with UN Global Compact Network UK, Bristol City Office, and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the UN Goals for Sustainable Development to run a session on 21st July 2021 on Localising the Global Goals at the UN Global Compact Network UK’s Conference on Responsible Business and SDGs (from where you can download the event).
Knowledge Network on Climate Assemblies (KNOCA) launched
The European Climate Foundation has launched the Knowledge Network on Climate Assemblies (KNOCA) as a ‘go to’ place for those seeking considered, rigorous and widely-sourced input on the design and implementation of climate assemblies. FDSD’s own Professor Graham Smith has been appointed as the founding chair of the network.
Can Democracy Safeguard the Future? | New book by Graham Smith
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 his new book, Can Democracy Safeguard the FUture?, FDSD chair Prof Graham Smith asks why.