Hiromitsu Resolving Intergenerational Conflicts

An Approach from Philosophy, Economics, and Experiments
1. Auflage 2024
ISBN: 978-981-97-0614-3
Verlag: Springer Singapore
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, Band 33, 215 Seiten, eBook

Reihe: Advances in Japanese Business and Economics

This book is an unprecedented consideration of the challenges of what we can do for generations yet to come. Many growing intergenerational conflicts of interest, such as climate change and fiscal sustainability, are the result of the historically new progress of increasing human power, and the resolution of those conflicts demands a new intergenerational ethic. The book offers fresh new ideas for resolving intergenerational conflicts through the exploration of an entirely new field, conceptualized in philosophy, developed in economics, and tested in experiments. In particular, this work develops the theory of intergenerational cooperation based on a new relationship of direct reciprocity between generations. From experimental results, the possibility of intergenerational cooperation through Kantian categorical imperative is shown. The book also examines the effectiveness of inviting representatives of future generations, which are called "imaginary future generations", into the deliberations for current policy decisions.

The original Japanese edition of this book was awarded the 66 Nikkei Prize for Excellent Books in Economic Science. The prize was established in 1958 to contribute to the advancement of academics and knowledge in the fields of economics, management, and accounting, as well as to its general dissemination and application.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Hiromitsu, Toshiaki

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface

Chapter 1 Introduction

1.1 Intergenerational issues

1.2 Positioning in research history

1.3 Challenges in intergenerational issues and

the approach of this book

1.3.1 The temporal location of future people

1.3.2 Ignorance about future generations

1.3.3 The contingency of future people

1.3.4 Difficulties in realizing intergenerational

ethics

1.3.5 Approach of this book

1.4 Organization of chapters

Chapter 2: Duty and reciprocity in intergenerational

ethics

2.1 Introduction

2.2 Intergenerational ethics as a duty

2.2.1 Non-identity problem

2.2.2 Acceptance, impersonal ethics

2.2.3 Reinterpretation of the concept of harm -

Intergenerational ethics as a common understanding within the present

generation

2.3 The problem of intergenerational ethics as a

duty

2.3.1 Akrasia

2.3.2 Incentives

2.3.3 Countermeasures

2.4 Reciprocity among generations

2.4.1 Reciprocity

2.4.2 Descending and ascending reciprocity

2.4.3 Disadvantages of descending and ascending reciprocity

2.5 Direct intergenerational reciprocity

2.5.1 The value of humanity's survival after one’s

own death

2.5.2 Public reciprocity - sharing of rules

between different generations

2.5.3 Developing a multi-generation model based on public

reciprocity – an example of the exhaustible natural resources model

2.5.4 Comparison with Robert Barro (1974)

2.6 Conclusions and remaining Issues

Chapter 3: Developing intergenerational

cooperation based on public reciprocity - intergenerational cooperation through

Kantian categorical imperative

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Previous studies and methods of this chapter

3.2.1 Intergenerational relationships

3.2.2 Public goods

3.2.3 Sequential decision

3.3 Possibilities and difficulties of

intergenerational cooperation

3.3.1 Intergenerational savings transfer model

3.3.2 Subgame perfect equilibrium as a reference

point

3.3.3 Possibilities and difficulties of

intergenerational cooperation

3.4 Economic experiment

3.4.1 Setting, hypothesis

3.4.2 Summary of results

3.4.3 Interpretation

3.5 Intergenerational cooperation through Kantian categorical

imperative

3.5.1 Model extensions

3.5.2 Discussion 1 (Kantian categorical imperative)

3.5.3 Discussion 2 (welfare analysis)

3.5.4 Discussion 3 (application to public policies,

business managements, etc.)

3.5.5 Discussion 4 (points to be noted)

3.6 Conclusions and remaining issues

Appendix 1: Intergenerational negotiations

Appendix 2: The role of personality in intergenerational

issues

Chapter 4: Considerations for policy

decisions related to multiple generations: an examination through economic experiments

on fiscal policy

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Approach of this chapter and previous

studies

4.2.1 Experiments

4.2.2 Silver democracy

4.2.3 Deliberation, intergenerational

negotiations

4.3 Experiments on fiscal policy

4.3.1 Setup

4.3.2 Summary of results

4.4 Interpretation

4.4.1 Preparation of interpretation

4.4.2 Packaging of policies

4.4.3 Personal interests or judgements distinct

from personal interests

4.4.4 Information provided to participants

4.4.5 Age and selection of fiscal policy

4.4.6 Occupation and selection of fiscal policy

4.4.7 Optimism bias

4.4.8 Excuse of “agnosticism” on future

generations

4.4.9 Deliberation and imaginary future

generations (IFGs)

4.5 Seven keys to solving long-term fiscal problems

4.5.1 Importance of basing the discussion on the

trade-off between benefits and burdens

4.5.2 Necessity of a system that leads to a greater

role of public judgments, particularly that represents voices of future

generations which are not heard in conventional deliberation

4.5.3 Effectiveness of persuading to support

sustainable policies based on personal interests

4.5.4 Concern that the younger does not necessarily

respect the voices of future generations

4.5.5 The “privatization” of policies as a dilemma and

its countermeasures

4.5.6 Importance of problems which the disadvantaged

face

4.5.7 Necessity of sharing appropriate economic views

and understanding fiscal policies as problems of resources not of values

4.6 Generalization of the keys in policies involving

multiple generations, such as climate change

4.7 Conclusions and remaining issues

Appendix 3: What do people say when they become

“future people”?

Chapter 5: The meaning of equal

treatment of present and future events - time discounting

5.1 Kenneth Arrow's conflict of basic principles

of morality

5.2 Equal treatment principle and time discounts

compatible with the principle

5.2.1 Various concepts of discounting

5.2.2 Discounts from loss of controllability of

events

5.3 Intervention of subsequent decision-makers

5.3.1 The concept

5.3.2 Emergence of time discounting (1)

5.3.3 Emergence of time discounting (2) - discounts

under the principle of equal treatment

5.4 Natural hazard

5.4.1 Relationship between hazard and time discounting

5.4.2 How can the hazard rate be reduced?

5.4.3 What hazard do social decisions face?

5.4.4 Policy implications

5.5 Disengagement from utilitarianism and time

discounting

5.5.1 Methodology 1

5.5.2 Methodology 2 under various principles

expressing the principle of equal treatment

5.6 Conclusions and remaining issues

Chapter 6 Conclusion

6.1 General remarks

6.2 Prospects for further research

6.3 Conclusion - Do not use the unborn as a tool

References

Postscript

Über Autor(innen)

Dr. Toshiaki Hiromitsu is Visiting Scholar, Policy Research Institute, Ministry of Finance, Government of Japan, and he is also Minister, Embassy of Japan in the United States. He is both a researcher and a high-ranking government official of Japan. He has worked for applying academic methods to elucidate policy concerns that arise from his professional experience. His professional work is reflected in this study of intergenerational issues. His recent experience includes issues from fiscal consolidation plans to the design of policies for decarbonization. Intergenerational conflicts of interest are the central issue in these policy agendas. He has applied both philosophy and economics including experimental economics to these issues and has proposed methodologies for resolving intergenerational conflicts. The results have been published as academic articles in English. These articles, together with original ideas for the new publication, have been published as a book on intergenerational issues (2022) in Japan, and the book was awarded the 66th Nikkei Prize for Excellent Books in Economic Science.  His publication includes studies of philosophy as well as of economics. He has written a philosophical dialogue (2021), which has been published in a book together with works of philosophers.

After earning B.A. in Liberal Arts from the University of Tokyo, Dr. Hiromitsu obtained M.Phil. in Economics from the University of Oxford and Ph. D. in Economics from Hitotsubashi University. His field of studies are macroeconomics, political economy, behavioral economics, political philosophy. He is the editor of the most popular textbook on public finance among university students. His book on intergenerational issues was awarded the 66 Nikkei Prize for Excellent Books in Economic Science.

In his public service, Dr. Hiromitsu has held diverse responsibilities related to finances. His work concerns the overall coordination of fiscal and monetary policy, budget of social welfare expenditures, economic package for COVID-19, government loans to local governments and medical institutions, and supervision of government-affiliated financial institutions. His experience includes services at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. (2000-2003), the Prime Minister's Office (2011-2013), and the Reconstruction Agency for the Great East Japan Earthquake (2013-2015).