Democracies tend to underestimate the interests of future generations (who have not yet been born and do not vote) in relation to present generations. The manifestation of this problem in the younger generations and those to come can be clearly seen in the problem of climate change and the excessive use of natural resources, the increasing difficulty of access to housing, the duality and precariousness of the labour market, excessive public and external indebtedness and family incomes.
However, there are dimensions in which new and future generations will be able to access a higher level of well-being than current generations, due to the accumulation of a greater stock of human capital and technological development that opens up greater potential for choice and increases life expectancy.
The “Intergenerational Justice Index” project, drawn up by the Institute of Public Policy and supported by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, is part of the work that the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation has been developing over the last five years.
The aim of the project is to highlight issues of intergenerational justice in the public and political debate, to identify where the most significant intergenerational injustices are manifested and to understand to what extent public policies have contributed to aggravating or mitigating these injustices.
The presentation of the results of the project “An Index of Intergenerational Justice” took place on 20 September from 17:15-19:00 at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (Auditorium 3).