Participation in Long-Term Decision-Making (PALO)

Public description of the goals at the beginning of the project

Participation in Long-Term Decision-Making (PALO) addresses the problem of ‘short-termism' in public decision-making and governance. Although there is plenty of information about the long-term consequences of human action, this information has only a limited influence in policy-making. With the objective to strengthen democracy, PALO builds upon state-of-the-art research. It develops better practices for deliberative citizen participation that can be applied in Finland and elsewhere. PALO's multidisciplinary research involves political scientists, environmental social scientists, psychologists, behavioral economists and philosophers, and a wide range of collaborators. WP1 focuses on philosophical and behavioral foundations of decision making. WP2 focuses on the problems of existing governance practices. WP3 and WP4 co-design novel mechanisms to engage citizens and stakeholders at various levels of governance. WP5 pertains to interaction with stakeholders and society at large.

Public description of the results at the end of the project

The project explored the problem of short-termism in public decision-making. The project increased knowledge and understanding concerning the present state of long-term policymaking in Finland, as well as the time horizons of among citizens and policymakers. The project examined various solutions that can reduce short-termism and help consider future generations in democratic decision-making. The Finnish political system is relatively capable of long-term decision-making. In particular, international commitments and expert influence enhance long-term decision-making. Policymakers are more future-regarding than citizens, but also citizens’ political time horizons are wider than assumed. Long-term policymaking can be reinforced by consideration of information on the impact of policy decisions, appointing broad-based bodies that work beyond a single electoral term, and increasing the role of deliberative mini-publics in decision-making. Deliberative mini-publics, such as citizens’ panels and juries, are well-suited for addressing complex and far-reaching problems and they can help make legitimate decisions on contested issues.

More information

  • Consortium's website
  • Consortium PI Maija Setälä, Professor, University of Turku, maiset(at)utu.fi

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