Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Beckman, Ludvig

Titel

Democratic Legitimacy, Institutions for Future Generations and the Problem of Constitutional Power

Ist Teil von

• Representing the Absent, 2023, p.393

Erscheinungsjahr

2023

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Recognising widely held concerns regarding ‘presentist’ biases in democratic institutions, thischapter challenges the contention that democratic legitimacy inexorably requires the inclusion of futuregenerations in democratic decisions. According to two requirements of democratic legitimacy – inclusionand constitutional empowerment – people should be empowered to participate in decisions about policyand law, and to determine the rules structuring the political framework. Drawing a distinction betweenthese requirements, this chapter contends that though it may be feasible to ‘include’ future generations forproxy representation, future generations cannot enjoy ‘constitutional power’.This chapter applies two separate understandings of constitutional power to future generations, the‘constituent power’ to create constitutional frameworks, and the ‘constituted power’ to amend suchframeworks’ norms. It contends that neither is achievable for unborn people and that full intergener‐ational democratic legitimacy is therefore impossible. Reason for concern with the long-term effectsof contemporary policies and political systems still remain, of course. But in attending to them, justicerather than democratic legitimacy should guide our judgments.