Why people agree on the future more than the present, and what it means for governance

Political polarization might have a surprisingly simple fix: ask people what they want for their communities in 50 years instead of today, and their answers start to look remarkably similar. But almost no political system is built to plan that long-term.In this episode we talk to Taylor Dee Hawkins, founder of Foundations for Tomorrow, a nonprofit pushing for long-term governance reform in Australia and internationally.We cover topics like:Why the problem with political leadership isn't individual leaders, but the incentive structures and systems designed to reward short-term decisions at the expense of long-term onesWhy naming political procrastination is the first step to solving itHow Foundations of Tomorrow secured cross-party support in a polarized parliament by making the economic case for long-term policy rather than the moral oneWhy planning for the future doesn’t have to come at the expense of present generationsTaylor’s advice for a young person who wants to get started in long-term policy, and what she has learned from years of being the youngest person in the roomTimestamps:0:00 Cold open0:56 From climate advocacy to long-term governance: founding Foundations for Tomorrow3:07 What made Taylor quit her job during COVID and start an organization4:18 Why bad leadership isn't the problem, but broken incentive structures are5:53 Policrastination: naming political procrastination so we can tackle it6:59 What can actually be done about political short-termism9:08 Governments leading the way on long-term thinking: Finland, Wales, Singapore, Kenya13:17 The biggest misconception about long-term governance14:29 How long-term thinking earns cross-party support in a polarized parliament16:06 What the world looks like if every country takes future generations seriously18:14 When long-term thinking goes wrong19:25 Why one-solution thinking is the most overhyped idea in governance reform20:44 The sharpest critiques of Taylor's work and what they've taught her22:42 How governance can keep pace with fast-moving technology24:12 Being the youngest person in the room: what Taylor does about it25:58 How to break into long-term governance work29:29 How to stay anchored to the long term when everything pulls you short-term30:26 Taylor's existential hope vision for the future31:13 The technology Taylor wishes existed31:39 What Taylor would be doing if not this31:57 The best piece of advice Taylor has ever receivedOn the Existential Hope Podcast hosts Allison Duettmann and Beatrice Erkers from the Foresight Institute invite scientists, founders, and philosophers for in-depth conversations on positive, high-tech futures. Full transcript, listed resources, and more: https://www.existentialhope.com/podcastsFollow on X. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.