Can Generations be Treated Equally?

Professor Asheim, Department of Economics, University of Oslo, gives a talk for the Oxford Martin School Hilary Term Seminar Series 2011 Intergenerational Justice: What do we owe future generations? Economists sometimes claim that generations cannot be treated equally. Some even argue that future generations must be given less weight than the present generation. Prof. Asheim will explain the basis for this claim and discuss ways in which it is still possible to balance present and future interests. In particular, new research within the field of social choice theory suggests ways to combine sensitivity to interests of the present with respect for the interests of the future.