Democracies tend to underestimate the interests of future generations (who have not yet been born and do not vote) in relation to present ones. The manifestation of this problem in the younger generations and those to come can be clearly seen in the overuse of natural resources and climate change, in the growing difficulty of access to housing, in the duality and precariousness of the labor market, in excessive public and external indebtedness, and in family incomes. 

However, there are dimensions in which, both through the accumulation of a greater stock of human capital and through technological developments, new and future generations will be able to access a higher level of well-being than current generations.

In this context, and following on from the Gulbenkian Intergenerational initiative, the Institute of Public Policy has created, with the support of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, an Intergenerational Justice Index, which aims not only to keep the issue under public discussion, but also to clarify the public policies that can promote it.

Based on six different areas – the environment and natural resources, health, the labor market, housing, public finances, poverty and living conditions – the Intergenerational Justice Index will be presented to the public on September 20, between 5pm and 7pm, at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. 

Admission is free but subject to registration.

About the Gulbenkian Intergenerational Initiative

Developed between 2018 and 2022, the Gulbenkian Intergenerational initiative aimed to bring intergenerational justice into public discussion and onto the political agenda, and to encourage the design of fair public policies for all generations.

Over the years, 11 studies and several policy briefs have been carried out in various areas, analyzing the main inequalities between generations and identifying the factors that contribute to the successful implementation of long-term policies, as well as creating a methodology for assessing the impact of public policies on current and future generations. This process also made it possible to foster an interdisciplinary network of researchers on the subject from dozens of national and foreign universities.

At the end of the five years of the initiative, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation has supported several academic and civil society projects in the field of Intergenerational Justice.