Intergenerational Foresight: An Approach for Long-Term Responsibility in Governance

Mar 31, 2026 Intergenerational Foresight: An Approach for Long-Term Responsibility in Governance
undefined

Intergenerational foresight is about making better decisions today by thinking seriously about the long-term. Drawing on insights from experts around the world, this handbook demonstrates that credible leadership means taking responsibility for the future, rather than treating it as distant or abstract.

It sets out practical principles, tools and real-world examples to help leaders spot risks, opportunities and trade-offs across generations, and build long-term thinking into policy, strategy and governance.

As the world grows more uncertain and some decisions become harder to reverse, the ability to think and act across generations will matter more than ever. This handbook shows how.

License and Republishing
World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use. The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.