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 London-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.
Linking Democracy and Sustainable Development
We produce reports and briefings, and commission short pieces or provocations to stimulate debate, and suggest solutions. We respond to national and international consultations, and raise issues directly.
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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
FDSD welcomes UK Climate Assembly
The ‘Climate Assembly UK’ has been commissioned by six Parliamentary Select Committees and will provide recommendations on how the UK can realise its commitment to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It is time to bring the wisdom of citizens to bear. —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...
#TodayForTomorrow
—Campaign for a Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill for the UK.
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
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.
Democracy, the Long View and Health in the light of COVID | By John Lotherington
COVID-19 is yet another example of persistent failures in long-term thinking and practice by the UK Government. This blog by FDSD trustee John Lotherington is drawing on a conversation between Jennifer Dixon, Chief Executive of the Health Foundation with FDSD trustees, Peter Davies, John Lotherington, Graham Smith, and Andrea Westall. The views contained in this blog are however those of the author alone.
Video | Nature of Prosperity Dialogue with Roman Krznaric, Jane Davdison and Rebecca Willis
How can we nurture visions of the good life that preserve nature and protect the interests of future generations? Can new institutions help us to re-invigorate democracy? Can creativity inspire us to conserve what we love? How can we become the ‘good ancestors’ we would wish for our kids, in the world they will inherit? On 17 November 2020, FDSD and the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity co-hosted the latest event in the series of dialogues on the Nature of Prosperity, chaired by Dr Rowan Williams, 104th Archbishop of Canterbury.
Citizens’ assembly: what we’ve learned about the kind of climate action the public wants to see | Blog by Graham Smith
Ordinary British people proposes bolder climate measures than anything politicians have so far dared to suggest. In this blog, Graham Smith shares some reflections. (This blog first appeared on The Conversation website.)
Stewarding our land for current and future generations – inspiration from the Welsh Valleys | Blog by Andrea Westall
One positive outcome of our current situation, is probably a greater awareness of the importance of the places in which we live, FDSD trustee Andrea Westall writes. For three areas in Wales, this reconnection started back in summer 2018 when Friends Provident Foundation grantholder, The Green Valleys (Wales) CIC, began Project Skyline.
Reforming the civil service—no more short-term incentives or silo thinking?
We need to change how policy making is done in order to respond to today’s challenges. FDSD will be consulting with colleagues to submit an in-depth response to the consultation on Reform of the Civil Service. If you would like to contribute some ideas, please get in touch.