Towards long-term governance – From future awareness to action

Political decision-making has often been characterised as short-sighted, with limited representation of future generations within our political systems. This is evident in the long- term challenges we face, such as the climate crisis and biodiversity loss. These issues further manifest as geopolitical crises, migration, technological competition, epidemics, and growing global inequality. Towards long-term governance – From Future Awareness to Action, a publication that draws from co-creation with government actors, citizens, researchers and NGOs, aims to identify and build consensus on ways to promote long-term governance, in line with the commitments of the UN Summit of the Future.

Overcoming political short-termism

The importance of long-term, more anticipatory decision-making is emphasised across several critical policy areas:

• Investments in RDI and its strategic priorities
• Demographic change and immigration
• External and internal security
• Future labour markets, education, and skills needs
• Social and healthcare costs and the wellbeing economy
• Carbon neutrality and climate policy

Following the UN Summit on the Future, governments must not only formulate bold visions, but also create robust frameworks for proactive, anticipatory governance that takes into account future generations. Even countries like Finland, that have long been recognised as a pioneer in future-oriented governance, still face challenges related to short-term pressures, foresight skills, and institutional capacities. These findings were also supported in a workshop with key government actors in Finland, which this publication was born out of.

Three perspectives for strengthening long-term thinking

In this publication, we present three ways to overcome the challenges of short-termism:

1) Embedding long-term considerations and foresight as core components of decision-making and good governance
2) Expanding futures literacy and the collective power to define futures
3) Strengthening our connection to future generations and recognition of their rights.

However, these three ways are not exhaustive. For instance, anticipatory governance also benefits from better welfare and sustainability indicators, and political consensus on long-term societal goals.

Steering global futures

In the face of growing global challenges, countries across the world have an opportunity to redefine what anticipatory governance means in practice. Throughout the publication, we have highlighted promising examples to strengthen future-regarding governance and the foresight ecosystem. These initiatives provide fertile ground for change towards better long-term governance.

This publication is part of Finland’s hub for long-term governance funded by the School of International Futures and the European Climate Fund, aimed at advancing the goals of the UN Future Summit in Finland. The hub’s activities are coordinated by Demos Helsinki, Fingo, and Sitra.

More information

Vera Djakonoff
Expert, Demos Helsinki
vera.djakonoff@demoshelsinki.fi

Atte Ojanen
Research Manager, Demos Helsinki
atte.ojanen@demoshelsinki.fi