Should Democracy Become Intergenerational? On the Inclusion of Youth and Future Generations in the Anthropocene

Abstract

This monograph is a political theoretical analysis of an under-discussed aspect of the nature of democracy: the fact that it is an intergenerational project. The conditions of (democratic) life are partially set by past generations, and we are born into a world already ongoing. The environment, the economy and the political institutions we create will spill over to coming generations. These spillover effects are intensified by anthropogenic climate change, involving previously unseen levels of impact between generations and vastly prolonged timelines of impact. I ask if these changes require that we reconsider who ought to be included in "the people" or more specifically the demos (the subset of the citizenry allowed to take part in decision-making). I discuss this fundamental political theoretical question with respect to the two groups children and future generations, as they will be most affected by the changing climate but are currently excluded from all forms of democratic participation, including voting. The main overarching question of this monograph concerns the democratic legitimacy of democratically excluding these groups. NOTES ON THE AUTHORWilliam Sjöstedt is a Ph.D. fellow at Aalborg University in the Department of Politics and Society. He is affiliated with the Centre for Comparative Welfare Studies (CCWS) and the Centre for Philosophy and Public Policy (C3P). He is tied to the research project The Borders of Democracy with funding from Danmarks frie forskningsfond. His teaching has focused on political theory, modern analytical approaches to the study of politics, and the politics of climate change.William received his bachelor's and master's degrees in political science from Stockholm University as well as a bachelor's degree in literary science from Stockholm University. He has worked within the democratic sphere outside of academia at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE-ODIHR).Many people helped by providing comments on papers in various stages, Jørgen