How Governments Use 'Discounting the Future' to Reshape Policy

A new study reveals how political actors weaponize discount rates—the financial tool used to value future costs and benefits—to justify policies favoring short-term gains. The finding matters because invisible assumptions about the future embedded in budget calculations can determine which infrastructure gets built, which regulations get enforced, and who bears the costs.

Originaltitel: Discounting the Future: The Ascendancy of a Political Technology