Political polarization might have a surprisingly simple fix: ask people what they want for their communities in 50 years instead of today, and their answers start to look remarkably similar. But almost no political system is built to plan that long-term.
In this episode we talk to Taylor Dee Hawkins, founder of Foundations for Tomorrow, a nonprofit pushing for long-term governance reform in Australia and internationally.
We cover topics like:
Timestamps:
0:00 Cold open
0:56 From climate advocacy to long-term governance: founding Foundations for Tomorrow
3:07 What made Taylor quit her job during COVID and start an organization
4:18 Why bad leadership isn't the problem, but broken incentive structures are
5:53 Policrastination: naming political procrastination so we can tackle it
6:59 What can actually be done about political short-termism
9:08 Governments leading the way on long-term thinking: Finland, Wales, Singapore, Kenya
13:17 The biggest misconception about long-term governance
14:29 How long-term thinking earns cross-party support in a polarized parliament
16:06 What the world looks like if every country takes future generations seriously
18:14 When long-term thinking goes wrong
19:25 Why one-solution thinking is the most overhyped idea in governance reform
20:44 The sharpest critiques of Taylor's work and what they've taught her
22:42 How governance can keep pace with fast-moving technology
24:12 Being the youngest person in the room: what Taylor does about it
25:58 How to break into long-term governance work
29:29 How to stay anchored to the long term when everything pulls you short-term
30:26 Taylor's existential hope vision for the future
31:13 The technology Taylor wishes existed
31:39 What Taylor would be doing if not this
31:57 The best piece of advice Taylor has ever received