What Do We Owe Future Generations?

Speaker: Professor Neil Buchanan of George Washington University, US.

Abstract:

Politicians, policy experts, and the general public all appear to agree that current generations ought to take into account the interests of future generations when crafting public policies.  What is the source of that obligation between generations?  Given that it exists, what is the extent of any such obligation?  Although intergenerational obligations are typically invoked when discussing economic policies and especially environmental issues, surely those obligations also carry over into the political realm, including obligations to protect the rule of law and constitutional democracy as well as to promote tolerance and equality.  This lecture is based on a book project that is currently in progress.

About the Speaker: 

Neil H. Buchanan is an economist and Professor of Law. In 2019, he will be the Smith Freehills Visitor to the Faculty of Law in the University of Cambridge, and he will also be a visiting scholar at University of Gävle in Sweden.

Professor Buchanan teaches tax law and tax policy, and he has also taught contracts and law and economics. His research addresses the taxing and spending policies of the federal government, focusing on budget deficits, the national debt, health care costs, and Social Security. He also is engaged in a long-running research project that asks how current policy choices should be shaped by concerns for the interests of future generations.

Prior to attending law school, Professor Buchanan was an economics professor, specializing in macroeconomics, the history of economic thought, and economic methodology. He is a columnist for Verdict, and he publishes twice weekly on the legal blog Dorf on Law.

This event is free, open to all and no registration necessary.