|
***************************************************************
Newsletter November 2007
***************************************************************
CONTENTS:
1.) 1st Reading of the Intergenerational Justice Bill in the German Bundestag
2.) Successful Award Ceremony/Symposium for the 1st Demography Prize for Young Scientists
3.) Current News on the Intergenerational Justice Prize 07/08
4.) New FRFG Study
5.) Become a member!
6.) Last but not least...
*****************************************************************
1.) FIRST READING OF THE INTERGENERATIONAL JUSTICE BILL IN THE GERMAN BUNDESTAG
It is almost a year ago that 105 Representatives, aged between 24 and
64, introduced a bill for more intergenerational justice in the German
constitution. On October 11, 2007, this bill was finally discussed for
the first time in the Bundestag. In a vively debate, Representatives of
the SPD, CDU/CSU, Greens and FDP spoke for the bill. However, other
Representatives from the CDU and SPD warned of an overburdening of the
constitution. The Representative from the "Post-Socialist Party" (PDS)
spoke against the bill. Employees and friends of the FRFG were there to
support the young Representatives with whom they had developed the
bill. The bill was not voted upon, but referred to legal committee for
expert hearings.
In this heated first reading Anna Lührmann (The Greens) countered the
assertion of the PDS’s Sevim Dagdelen that the bill disvalued the
contribution of the older generation and would lead to social decay
with these words: "Generational justice is social justice in the
future. Because who will suffer the most under the consequences of
climate change? It will not be the rich who can buy themselves free of
many problems. It is the poorer social classes in Europe and especially
in Africa and Asia who will suffer under storms and the lack of
drinking water and food. What applies for environmental policy applies
also for state debt and for the social security systems. Politicians
today can comfortably shift painful distribution conflicts on the
future through implicit and explicit debts. It is however unjust, when
we buy today’s social justice at the cost of tomorrow’s injustice." For
more, read http://www.intergenerationaljustice.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=84&Itemid=114
To watch the debate was very inspiring, but the small resonance in the
media is alarming. Short-term thinking is the biggest problem of our
time. All democracies must reform themselves in order to be sustainable
into the future. Such further developments of our democratic system
should be dedicatedly discussed throughout the country. The only report
on the first reading was however in the weekly newspaper Die Zeit (Nr.
43 from 18 October 2007, p. 9).
*****************************************************************
2.) SUCCESSFUL AWARDS CEREMONY/SYMOSIUM FOR THE 1st DEMOGRAPHY PRIZE
Recently the FRFG awarded already for the fourth time one of its
prizes, but this awards ceremony and symposium “Ways to More Children
in Germany” was the most successful and smooth-running yet. It took
place on November 11, 2007 in the Government Offices of Saxony in
Berlin. There was a quite high number of participants—after 120
registrations the FRFG could accept no more. Because of very rainy
weather some of these people did stay home, but the number was still
much higher than former ceremonies. A reason for this was a cooperation
with the Institute for Future Studies and Technology Assessment (IZT)
and the Inforadio Berlin, who transmitted part of the seminar on the
radio (listen at: http://www.inforadio.de/static/dyn2sta_article/843/215843_article.shtml).
The celebration was opened by an amusing greeting by Michael Sagurna, a
new minister in the Saxon Government. He emphasized that Saxony was the
laboratory of Germany for demographic change because Saxony is going
through today what will later happen in other German states.
Next Prof. Dr. Reiner H. Dinkel, Chair of Demography and Econometrics
at the University of Rostock, gave a keynote address on demographic
research in Germany, especially concerning fertility. After a light
lunch Prof. Dr. Ralf Ulrich from the Institute for Population and
Health Research introduced the prize winners, who presented their works
shortly. The 1st prize of 4000 Euro was given to Franziska Höring, Jan
Lemanski, Stephan Schütze, Christoph Sperfeldt for their co-authored
work “Changing Minds and Politics—Appeals for Sustainable Family
Policy”. Wolfgang Gründiger won the 2nd prize of 2,500 Euro for his
contribution “Dare for more Children—For an Active Birth Policy in
Germany for a Better Demographic Future”. The contributions from both
Inés Brock “Lack of Siblings and how Multi-Children Families can be
Encouraged” and Annelene Wengler und Anne-Kristin Kuhnt “Children,
Children, Children—Is a Rise in the Number of Children in Germany Even
Possible?” were awarded the 3rd prize of 1,500 Euro. Susanne Mey
received Honorable Mention for her contribution “The Crisis as a Chance
for Change”. A total of 15 young scientists contributed works for the
competition, and 61 asked for application materials. The prize was
financed by the Apfelbaum Foundaton’s Learning Project for Co-Evolution
and Integration.
On the whole this was a successful start for the idz, for whom this was
the first public event and received a high level of recognition in the
demography scene from the start. The complete documentation of the
symposium is on our websites www.intergenerationaljustice.org.
*****************************************************************
3.) CURRENT NEWS ON THE INTERGENERATIONENAL JUSTICE PRIZE 07/08
The Intergenerational Justice Prize 2007/2008 will be on the theme
“Generation P—Unequal Treatment of Old and Young in the Workplace” (see
Newsletter April 2007). Applications will be received until March 15,
2008 and up to this point 44 people have requested application
materials, which can be asked for by e-mail. For more information on
the Prize go to http://www.intergenerationaljustice.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=54
Please note that contributions will also be accepted in English, and
English-speaking applicants are heartily encouraged to participate.
Furthermore there is a relatively high chance of winning as in the last
competition almost half of the applicants received a prize.
*****************************************************************
4.) “WHEN YOU COULD CHOOSE—WHEN WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE BORN?”
NEW FRFG STUDY ON PREFFERED BIRTH YEAR
Humanity now finds itself in an historically unique condition in which
for the first time a switch of the positive historical trend of a
growing HDI seems possible. Worldwide environmental problems like
climate change, progressive degradation of the ozone layer and
increasing pollution of the oceans lead to the question of whether
future generations will have a better foundation for living than past
ones. Human technological capability places us in the position to be
able to irreversibly damage ourselves and the planet.
However it is a subjective judgement whether one believes that the
future will be better or worse than the present. The study describes
the empirical results received when the participants were allowed to
freely chose a birth year. The Rawlsian Veil of Ignorance is applied
here in an intertemporal and intergenerational context. The question of
preferred birth year is posed with the following thinking: if the
majority of respondents choose a year in the future, it shows that
living in the future is seen as having at least the same degree of
wellbeing as today. If the hypothetical birth year is however in the
past, it means that the respondents see the No one elected a birth year
prior to present/future as having worse living conditions than the
past.
Most people chose a year in the vicinity of their real birth year, a
considerable share placed their preferred birth year in the future. No
one elected a birth year prior to 1895. The reasons given were inferior
medicine and technology, less chance and opportunity, more wars,
conflicts and suffering, superstition and low-grade education. To the
study: http://www.generationengerechtigkeit.de/images/stories/Publikationen/artikel_studien/studie2_2007_final.pdf
(in German, currently being translated into English)
*****************************************************************
5.) BECOME A MEMBER
"People can roughly be divided into three categories: the few, who make
something happen…, the many, who observe how something happens…, and
the overwhelming majority, who have no idea what happens at all." (Karl
Weinhofer, born in 1942, German politician)
Please act for intergenerational justice and become a member of the
FRFG. By so doing you can secure our financial basis and thus our
independence! Membership allows you to enjoy extensive rights in the
foundation. You are encouraged to offer ideas, suggestions, and to
organize activities to achieve the aim of intergenerational justice.
Find out more:
http://www.intergenerationaljustice.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=98&Itemid=133
*****************************************************************
6.) LAST BUT NOT LEAST...
If you send us your postal address, you will receive a copy of the
magazine "Intergenerational Justice Review" – of course as a
non-binding sample.
Please feel free to contact us with any feedback concerning our newsletter.
With best regards,
The Editors
Foundation for the Rights of Future Generations
(Stiftung fuer die Rechte zukuenftiger Generationen)
Postfach 5115
D-61422 Oberursel
Tel: +49-(0) 61 71 - 98 23 67
Fax: +49-(0) 61 71 - 95 25 66
E-Mail: kontakt(at)srzg.de
Homepage: www.srzg.de
---
Board of Directors:
Dr. Joerg Tremmel (chairman)
Dr. Laura Tremmel
Adrian Schell
Tobias Kemnitzer
Frank Schmilowski
---
Board of Trustees:
Prof. Dr. Rolf Kreibich (chairman)
Prof. Dr. Ortwin Renn
Prof. Dr. Dr. Franz-Josef Radermacher
Dr. Juergen Borchert
Dr. Martin Thunert
Anna Luehrmann, MdB
----
Copyright © 2007 SRzG
***************************************************************
Newsletter September 2007
***************************************************************
CONTENTS:
1.) Demography Prize 2007: Latest News
2.) Intergenerational Justice Award 2008: Latest News
3.) New Book (in English): >Demographic Change and Intergenerational Justice<
4.) New Book (in German): >Wahlrecht ohne Altersgrenze? (Voting
rights without age limits? – Considerations with regard to
constitutional law, theory of democracy and psychological development
of minors)<
5.) 25th issue of the Intergenerational Justice Review; subject: “What is justice? What is intergenerational justice?<
6.) Last but not least...
*****************************************************************
1.) DEMOGRAPHY PRIZE 2007: LATEST NEWS
The Foundation for the Rights of Future Generations (FRFG) issues a
biyearly Demography Prize for Young Scientists (donated with 10000
Euros) which treats topics like >Ways to more children in a liberal
society<, >Positive effects of shrinking and ageing< or
>Migration<.
Since August 25th, the jury finished the evaluation of the handed-in
papers of the first round of the Demography Award concerning “Ways to
more children in Germany within a liberal society”. The seven most
excellent papers were prepared for the second round and handed over to
the jury for a second evaluation. It will be completed on September
22nd. In a phone conference in the following week the members of the
jury will have to agree on the positioning of the papers and the
distribution of the prize money. From October the 1st the chosen
laureates will be informed and invited to the award ceremony. The
ceremony will be held during the Symposium „Ways to more children in
Germany“, which will take place in the Government Office of the State
of Sachsen in Berlin on November 9th. Location: Brüderstraße 11-12,
10178 Berlin.
Speakers at the symposium:
- Hermann Winkler, (Head of the Governor’s Office of the State of Sachsen)
- Prof. Dr. Reiner H. Dinkel, (Faculty of Economic and Social
Sciences, Chair of Demography and Econometrics, University of Rostock)
- Prof. Dr. Ralf Ulrich, (Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bielefeld)
- Prof. Dr. Dr. Helmut Schneider, (Research Institute for
family-friendly employee policy , University of Münster/
Steinbeis-Hochschule Berlin)
- Dr. Harald Michel, (Institute for Applied Demography, Berlin)
- Malte Ristau-Winkler, (Head of the Department of Family, Welfare
and Social Citizenship of the Federal Ministry of Family, Women, Youth
and the Elderly)
- Dr. Joerg Tremmel, Founder of FRFG
It is likely that Federal German Minister of Transport, Wolfgang
Tiefensee, will hold the opening speech as patron of the Prize. There
will be arrangements made for light meals and drinks. You can register
by sending a mail to kontakt(at)srzg.de. More detailed information can
be found under www.intergenerationaljustice.org/
*****************************************************************
2.) INTERGENERATIONAL JUSTICE AWARD 2008: LATEST NEWS
The Intergenerational Justice Award 2007/08 will be issued for the
topic ““Generation ‘P’ – The unequal treatment of the old and the young
in the workplace”. Intermediate result: Additionally to the foundation
Apfelbaum, which had the idea for the prize and funds the prize money
there was be found a second sponsor for the prize: Bionade. Other
business companies and institutions have been addressed as well. As
soon as the posters are printed, they will be sent to approximately 100
academic departments in order to reach various young scientists.
Members of the Jury of this year’s award are Prof. Dr. Holger Luczak,
Prof. Dr. Ekkehart Frieling, Prof. Dr. Ute Klammer, Dr. Beate Beermann,
Ann Mettler und Prof. Dr. Klaus Dörre. From this year on, German and
English submissions are possible; we aim to double the number of handed
in papers. You can request the documents via email
(kontakt(at)srzg.de). For more information on the award please use this
link: http://www.intergenerationaljustice.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=54
*****************************************************************
3.) NEW BOOK (IN ENGLISH): >DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE AND INTERGENERATIONAL JUSTICE<
This interdisciplinary anthology is composed of five sections. The
first one provides detailed information on the demographic changes on a
global and national level. Special attention is given to the future
position of Europe in this changing global context. The second section
examines the impact of demographic change on key sustainability
indicators in certain areas of interest such as public debt, retirement
systems, competitiveness, environment, the labor market and the
education system in more detail. In the third section, we ask how
intergenerational justice is affected if sustainability indicators
change due to demographic change. The fourth section addresses the
ethical legitimacy of population policies. It pursues the question
whether we should seize the chance of influencing our descendents’
well-being if we are given the chance to do so. The fifth and truly
innovative section of the book addresses the issue of
institutionalizing our responsibility for future generations.
Democracies face a structural problem, namely the tendency to prefer
the present and to forget future implications of present decisions. To
work toward a solution for this problem, the framework for a fair,
future-orientated generational political system could be mended by an
institutional establishment of generational justice.
This book is marked by its interdisciplinary approach and flexibility
to look at current societal problems from many directions at once. Not
only do the authors come from a multitude of fields and perspectives,
but the contributions address not only the typical problems of economic
policy, but look also at environmental, societal and philosophical
issues.
Publisher: Springer; Publishing Date: January 2008
http://www.intergenerationaljustice.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=139&Itemid=197
*****************************************************************
4.) NEW BOOK (IN GERMAN): >WAHLRECHT OHNE ALTERSGRENZE? (VOTING
RIGHTS WITHOUT AGE LIMITS? – CONSIDERATIONS WITH REGARD TO
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW, THEORY OF DEMOCRACY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT
OF MINORS)<
Our anthology called “Wahlrecht ohne Altersgrenze” is ready to be
printed by now. At the moment we seek financial support for the
printing costs (a.o. VG Wort) and hope to publish the book soon. It
will be published in the renowned Oekom publishing house and present
the current positions to the subject from an interdisciplinary
perspective. A lot of famous scholars including Dr. Hoffmann-Lange,
Prof. Dr. Oerter, Prof. Dr. Heußner, Dr. Wolf¬gang Gaiser, Dr. Tim
Krieger and Dr. Jörg Tremmel made a contribution to create a unique
anthology in Germany.
The former Senator of Justice Dr. Peschel-Gutzeit writes in a review about the anthology:
“What nobody thought possible in the past ten years, came to be in the
year 2004: The Federal Diet of Germany discussed about an
interfactional claim to introduce an “electoral law by birth”. As a
result the topic appeared on the public agenda. Despite of the big
response from the public, it still exists no standard work on the
subject. This gap is now filled by the anthology of the Foundation for
Intergenerational Justice.”
Publisher: oekom; Publishing Date: January 2008
*****************************************************************
5.) 25th ISSUE OF THE INTERGENERATIONAL JUSTICE REVIEW; SUBJECT: „WHAT IS JUSTICE? WHAT IS INTERGENERATIONAL JUSTICE?“
The issue 4/2007 of the journal Intergenerational Justice Review
(release: December 2007) will deal with the subject: “What is justice?
What is intergenerational justice?”. Authors from the philosophical and
sociological field of justice research are invited to introduce their
ideas of justice and to put them – if possible – to the
intergenerational context. The articles include contributions from
Prof. Dr. Otfried Hoeffe, Prof. Dr. Dr. Peter Koller, Dr. Axel
Boh¬meyer, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Steinvorth and Dr. Jörg Tremmel/Oliver
Goetz. The magazine will be published in German (December 2007) and
English (March 2008).
*****************************************************************
6.) LAST BUT NOT LEAST...
As always… Please feed us with emails from people that are interested
in intergenerational justice. Before we add you to our mailing list, we
would like to ask you, if you agree on receiving our monthly digital
FRFG-Newsletter. If you send us the postal addresses of the prospects,
you will receive these two copies of the Intergenerational Justice
Review – of course as a non-binding sample.
Please feel free to contact us at any time to let us know when you have any feedback concerning our newsletter.
With best regards,
the editors of this newsletter
Foundation for the Rights of Future Generations
Stiftung fuer die Rechte zukuenftiger Generationen
Postfach 5115
D-61422 Oberursel
Tel: +49-(0) 61 71 - 98 23 67
Fax: +49-(0) 61 71 - 95 25 66
E-Mail: kontakt(at)srzg.de
Homepage: www.srzg.de
---
board of management:
Dr. Joerg Tremmel (chairman)
Dr. Laura Tremmel
Adrian Schell
Tobias Kemnitzer
Frank Schmilowski
---
board of trustees:
Prof. Dr. Rolf Kreibich (chairman)
Prof. Dr. Ortwin Renn
Prof. Dr. Dr. Franz-Josef Radermacher
Dr. Juergen Borchert
Dr. Martin Thunert
Anna Luehrmann, MdB
----
Copyright © 2007 SRzG
***************************************************************
Newsletter July 2007
***************************************************************
CONTENTS:
1.) Amendment to the German Constitution in favour of more
intergenerational justice: the Parlamentarian debate will probably take
place in September 2007
2.) Disappointing judgement of German Constitutional Court about state indebtedness
3.) New website of FRFG: www.intergenerationaljustice.org
4.) Symposium and award ceremony of the Demography Prize for Young Scientists in Berlin, on November 9, 2007
5.) Issue of the new magazine; its main subject: ‘Increasing the birth rate in Germany’.
6.) How to become a member
7.) Last but not least…
***************************************************************************
1.) AMENDMENT OF THE BASIC CONSTITUTIONAL LAW IN FAVOUR OF MORE
GENERATIONAL JUSTICE >> THE READING WILL PROBABLY TAKE PLACE IN
SEPTEMBER
On November 10th in 2006, more than 100 members of the Bundestag
introduced a draft bill for intergenerational justice in the German
Constitution.
In the run-up, young MPs have worked three years together with FRFG on
the phrasing of the draft bill. As the FRFG has learned from the young
members of the Bundestag, the petition is to be discussed in September
2007, at a time of the day during which the parliament will be fully
occupied.
Why hasn’t anything happened since last year? This is an impressive
example of how democracy works. In fact, bills have to be handled
during the term of six months after they have been tabeled.
But the young applicants did not insist on this, because then the
petition might have been put low on the agenda, i.e. it would have been
concluded without any public during night-time. Whether a petition is
going to be handled by night or during >office hours< in the day
time is being decided by the parliamentary directors - in this process,
each party has the right to influence the agenda according to its size.
Here, many groups of representatives often depend on the goodwill of
their colleagues at the head of the faction. In addition to this, this
petition is cross-factional and the small parties did not want to use
up their little opportunities to interfere.
If the bill is finally adopted, Germany will join the group of
countries that have enshrined the principles of sustainability and
intergenerational justice in their constitution. If it fails, Germany
continues to neglect the protection of posterity.
***************************************************************************
2.) DISAPPOINTING JUDGEMENT OF THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTIONAL COURT ABOUT STATE INDEBTEDNESS
By the decision of the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe on 9.
July 2007, an intergenerationally inequitable policy of state
indebtedness was declared as conform to the constitution. The court
refused the claim of the parliamentary groups of the conservatives
(CDU/CSU) and the liberals (FDP) against the supplementary budget of
2004. In this budget, the new indebtedness clearly exceeded the new
investments. In the reasons given for the judgment, there is a vague
statement that new ‘mechanisms’ have to be found in order to settle the
debts during several fiscal years but there are no concrete guidelines
from the Federal Constitutional Court for the legislator.
Fortunately, three of the eight judges at the Federal Constitutional
Court advance another view. They agree with the claim of many experts
to re-define the term of >investment< in article 115 of the Basic
Constitutional Law (GG). Investments should be cut by depreciation and
amortization of fixed assets, bare replacement investments and gains
out of privatisations. Consequently, the possibility of the government
to incur new debt would be restricted.
Nonetheless, it has to be critically noted that this is not yet
sufficient because the problem misdirected investments must also been
considered. This could be done for example by a reduction of the amount
of investment by one third, which has been proposed by the FRFG.
You find
- the reasons given for the judgment on:
http://www.bverfg.de/entscheidungen/fs20070709_2bvf000104.html
- the FRFG’s position paper about the reform of the state indebtedness on:
http://www.generationengerechtigkeit.de/images/stories/Publikationen/artikel_studien/studie_finanzielle_gg.pdf
An article of Prof. von Weizsaecker and Dr. Suessmuth about the
problems of intergenerationally unfair net lending in the Handbook of
Intergenerational Justice:
http://www.intergenerationaljustice.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=49
***************************************************************************
3.) NEW WEBSITE: WWW.INTERGENERATIONALJUSTICE.ORG
Our new English website www.intergenerationaljustice.org and the new German website www.generationengerechtigkeit.de
are now online! They’re based on a content-management-system. The last
step in the update process of our website will be to modify the other
languages’ versions until mid-August. The French, Spanish, Czech and
Polish websites will be completely renewed. You find all the other
websites on http://www.srzg.de, by choosing the corresponding flag.
***************************************************************************
4.) AWARD CEREMONY OF THE DEMOGRAPHY PRIZE FOR YOUNG SCIENTISTS IN
BERLIN, NOVEMBER 9, 2007 >How to increase the birth rate in a
liberal society?<
The Institute for a Better Demographic Future (idz) is linked to the
Foundation for the Rights of Future Generations (FRFG). It is directed
as a self-contained entity, although it is no legal person. Its main
task is to research the complex coherences between demographic
developments and intergenerational justice. For this purpose, the idz
offers the demography prize for young scientists every two years,
valued at 10 000€. In 2007, its subject matter is the increase of the
birth rate; in 2009, it will be about the adaptation to shrinking and
aging; and in 2011, the topic of the award will be migration (you’ll
find more information on www.intergenerationaljustice.org ïƒ awards).
The first competition will last until august 1st 2007 - we have already
received a lot of excellent papers, which will soon be presented to the
jury.
The award ceremony will be held within the scope of our congress about
‘Increasing the birth rate in Germany – responsibility of companies,
government and society’, which will take place in Berlin on November 9,
2007. Please do note down this event in your schedule; in the next
newsletter you will receive an invitation.
***************************************************************************
5.) ISSUE OF THE NEW MAGAZINE: >INCREASING THE BIRTH RATE IN A LIBERAL SOCIETY<
The issue 3/2007 of the magazine >Intergenerational Justice<
(German version), which will be published in September, will mainly
treat the subject of > How to increase the birth rate in a liberal
society?<. There, you will find the shortened versions of the three
or four top papers that have been handed in for the demography prize.
Further, the points of view of distinguished personalities of politics, science and business will be published.
Besides this emphasis, several books about durability,
intergenerational justice and demography will be reviewed. In the issue
to come, you will find reviews about “Theorien Internationaler
Migration” by Petrus Han, “Die Mutterglück-Falle. Warum wir unser
Familienbild ändern müssen” by Karin Deckenbach and “Weniger sind mehr”
by Karl Otto Hondrich.
***************************************************************************6.) HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER (FRIEND OF FRFG´S)
“You can divide humans into three rough categories: the few, who make
things happen…, the many who observe what’s going on from the outside…
and the overwhelming majority without any idea what’s happening.” (Karl
Weinhofer, geb. 1942, German politician)
----
Members financially support the foundation, and allow it to function
smoothly as an independent organization. Joining FRFG demonstrates your
support of intergenerational justice and sustainability, and membership
allows you to enjoy extensive rights in the foundation. You are
encouraged to offer ideas, suggestions, and to organize activities to
achieve the aim of intergenerational justice.
You have the right to:
- Receive the member's magazine "Intergenerational Justice Review" for free (in English or German).
- Partake in all public executive board meetings, SG meetings and other
official meetings. At the annual committee meeting, each board member
reports on the last year.
To join FRFG, click here to fill out the online form. You can determine
your contribution, but there is a minimal contribution of 25 US-Dollars
or Euro (as you prefer) for those less than thirty years old, and 50
$/€ for those above thirty. This fee covers the postage and various
expenses accrued by individual membership. The membership is valid when
the application form and contribution are received. Organizations are
welcome to enjoy membership for 100 $/€ yearly. We look forward to
welcoming you to FRFG!
For non-European members especially, it is possible to send your
contribution by check instead of wire transfer. In this case please
print our membership form and send it (made out to FRFG) per post to:
FRFG
P.O. Box 5115
61422 Oberursel
Germany
***************************************************************************
7.) LAST BUT NOT LEAST
As always … Please tell us by sending an email to kontakt(at)srzg.de if
you do not wish to receive this mailing, and we will take you
immediately from our list.
Additionally, if you know others who are interested in
intergenerational justice, please send us their email addresses and
they will receive our newsletter once every three months. If you send
us the postal address of any interested parties, we will send them two
samples of our magazine >Intergenerational Justice< free of
charge and non-binding.
***************************************************************************
In case you wish to support the FRFG, you will find more information about a membership on www.intergenerationaljustice.org.
----
Here you can find PDF versions of our English editions of „Intergenerational Justice“
http://www.intergenerationaljustice.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=46
----
To unsubscribe to this newsletter, please send us an email at kontakt(at)srzg.de
----
We are always pleased to receive your news, views and feedback.
Kind regards,
The E-Newsletter Editors
Foundation for the Rights of Future Generations
P.O. Box 5115
D-61422 Oberursel
Tel: +49-(0) 61 71 - 98 23 67
Fax: +49-(0) 61 71 - 95 25 66
E-Mail: kontakt(at)srzg.de
Homepage: www.intergenerationaljustice.org
---
Board of Directors
Dr. Joerg Tremmel (Chair)
Dr. Laura Tremmel
Adrian Schell
Tobias Kemnitzer
Frank Schmilowski
---
Board of Trustees:
Prof. Dr. Rolf Kreibich (Chair)
Prof. Dr. Ortwin Renn
Prof. Dr. Dr. Franz-Josef Radermacher
Dr. Juergen Borchert
Dr. Martin Thunert
Anna Luehrmann
----
Copyright © 2007 SRzG
***************************************************************
Newsletter April 2007
***************************************************************
CONTENTS
1) Intergenerational Justice
Prize 2007/2008: >Generation ‘P’ – The unequal treatment of the old
and the young in the workplace<
2) Call for Papers for the Anthology >Demographic Change and Intergenerational Justice<
3) Publication
of the German–Spanish Edition of the magazine >Intergenerational
Justice<: The Debate on sustainable Development in Spain.
4) Preview
of Edition 23 of the Magazine >Intergenerational Justice<:
Societal Generations and the example of the generation of 89.
5) Introducing our new book >Voting rights without an age restriction<
6) Introducing the new Schools project: >The Future is ours<
7) Appeal for renewable energy
8) The new English website goes live
9) Apply now for >Canada meets Germany<
10) Last but not least….
***************************************************************************
1) INTERGENERATIONAL JUSTICE PRIZE 2007/2008: GENERATION ‘P’ – THE UNEQUAL TREATMENT OF THE OLD AND THE YOUNG IN THE WORKPLACE‘
Generation
P’ can stand for ‘Precarious’, or the German word for interns,
‘Praktikanten’. The idea behind it remains the same whatever it stands
for: It describes a generation that instead of getting fixed employment
after studying is forced to complete a number of badly paid
internships. Increasingly, interns are being exploited as cheap labour
because they are not covered by the regulatory hand of the public
authorities and are badly informed about their rights. They have
minimal legal protection, working long hours to try and prove
themselves to possible future employers, but they can be fired with
very little notice and for no given reason. A new precarious generation
has emerged. The question is focused around three subtopics. Candidates should attempt question 1, either 2a, 2b or 2c and question 3. 1) Define “Intergenerational Justice” and “Just Wages” and address the relationship between the two.2a) Analyse legal and collective labour agreements regarding intergenerational justice in Germany b) Describe how the world of work is changing in general, and what effects this has on different generations,c) Compare situations facing the younger generation entering the world of work in Germany and at least one other country.3) Which solutions could be found on a social, corporate and individual level?The prize(s) will be awarded at an awards ceremony during a congress in June/July 2008. More information: www.intergenerationaljustice.org -> Awards -> Intergenerational Justice Award 2007/2008
***************************************************************************
2) CALL FOR PAPERS FOR THE ANTHOLOGY >DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE AND INTERGENERATIONAL JUSTICE<
Intergenerational
justice and demographic change are intimately linked because it is the
size of a generation that determines a great share of its fate. But the
rela¬tionship between intergenerational justice and demographic change
is complex. The book aims at clarifying the impact of demographic
changes on sustainability indicators that are relevant for
intergenerational justice: environment, public debt, retirement
sys¬tems, a competitive labour market, educa¬tion system etc. Until now
no comprehensive and well-edited book analyzing this relationship has
been available. The anthology is aimed at politicians, schol¬ars,
experts, and any interested members of the general public. Currently
two publishing houses are interested publishing the book. The
Springer-Verlag (www.springer.com), one of the biggest science publishers in Europe, and Earthscan (www.earthscan.co.uk), one of the leading publishers in Sustainable Development. For more information please consult our website www.intergenerationjustice.org.
If you want to contribute to the book, please send a one-page abstract
of your possible contribution to Dr. Joerg Tremmel at
joerg.tremmel(at)srzg.de
*****************************************************************
3) EDITION 22 OF >INTERGENERATIONAL JUSTICE< IN GERMAN AND SPANISH. >THE DEBATE ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN SPAIN<
Sustainable
development is a global issue, which makes it surprising that there is
little international exchange of research into sustainability. This
magazine seeks to address this issue, marking only the first step on a
long path. It is important to start an international debate about
sustainability, to enable problems to be solved. Whilst solutions
created in the English-speaking world are often instituted in other
countries, there is very little interexchange of ideas directly between
countries who do not speak English. Communication between these
countries often only follows after an English translation has been
made, a step we have skipped in this magazine. Members of the FRFG will receive this magazine by the end of the month. You can also find a digital version online on www.intergenerationaljustice.org -> Publications -> Intergenerational Justice Review
************************************************************************
4)
PREVIEW OF EDITION 23 OF THE MAGAZINE >INTERGENERATIONAL
JUSTICE<: SOCIETAL GENERATIONS AND THE EXAMPLE OF THE GENERATION OF
‘89
In
the early 90s there was a debate surrounding the then up-and-coming
generation, which increasingly questioned the leadership of the older
generations. But what happened to this generation? This magazine
follows this generation from its “coming out” as a political generation
until now. They were the first to recognise the emerging precariousness
in the world of work for graduates, long before the term “Generation
Praktikum” (Generation Internship) came into being. Given the current
relevance of the latter term, it is interesting to follow a part of the
lives of the generation who first noticed the trend of “Generation
Praktikum”. This magazine presents historical, international and
intergenerational comparisons, as well as theories and empirical
studies.
************************************************************************
5) INTRODUCING OUR NEW BOOK >VOTING RIGHTS WITHOUT AN AGE RESTRICTION<
About
a fifth of the population - the children and teenagers - are kept out
of political decisions. Against the background of the effects of
today's level of state indebtedness, as well as the politics
surrounding pensions and the environment, the question of whether these
‘lost voices' can be reactivated gains credibility, whether through
voting rights without an age restriction or through voting by proxy. At
the moment the interests of those not entitled to vote appear only on
the periphery of politician's agendas, if they appear at all. The FRFG
will publish an anthology on this topic until summer.
************************************************************************
6) INTRODUCING THE NEW SCHOOLS PROJECT >THE FUTURE IS OURS<
This
project combines workshops in various local schools with a summer
school at the FRFG. The aim is to stimulate the 14-16 year-olds from
the area to think about their future, by introducing the subjects that
will affect them: Intergenerational Justice, social justice,
sustainability, insecurity in the workplace and the limits of the
Earth. The students will be allowed to choose the focus of their
workshop themselves by filling out a questionnaire beforehand, to
ensure interest in the subject. The Summer school will then gather the
most interested students together in order to show them how to make
their interest count on a practical level.
*************************************************************************
7) APPEAL FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY
Energy
sources can technically be switched to renewable energy- it IS do-able.
And it’s possible within a much shorter timeframe than was previously
thought possible, if politicians wanted to do it. The problem is that
in order to protect certain interests, many decision-makers simply do
not want to hear about it. We
would like to point out that there is a lot left to do in the areas of
sustainable energy and environmental policies. Everyone can help raise
awareness of the problem, actively supporting the energy-switch to
sustainable sources. If
future generations could vote, our energy would come from sustainable
sources within a few decades. But the future has no voice. The only
hope is that today’s young generations, who will feel the effects of
today’s shortsightedness in 60 years, will (together with committed
members of the older generation) build up enough political pressure to
realise an intergenerationally just energy system.
***************************************************************************
8) THE NEW ENGLISH WEBSITE GOES LIVE
Next week our new English website www.intergenerationaljustice.org
will be making its first live appearance on the internet. Here you will
be able to find up-to-date information about the FRFG and it’s
activities. Give it a try!
***************************************************************************
9) APPLY NOW FOR >CANADA MEETS GERMANY<
>Canada
Meets Germany< is an interdisciplinary network for young leaders and
future innovators from Canada and Germany. The aim of CMG is to
establish a solid and lasting basis for dialogue between the two
countries in order to promote mutual understanding on a societal level.
CMG
provides a framework for young, dedicated people from a variety of
fields including economics, politics, academia, education, culture and
the media to meet and exchange ideas. In August the programme will take place for the 5th time. You will find more information under www.canadameetsgermany.org – Apply today!
***************************************************************************
10) LAST BUT NOT LEAST
As
always… Please tell us by sending an email to kontakt(at)srzg.de if you
do not wish to receive this mailing, and we will take you immediately
from our list.Additionally,
if you know others who are interested in intergenerational justice,
please send us their email addresses and they will receive our
newsletter once every three months. If you send us the postal address
of any interested parties, we will send them two samples of our
magazine >Intergenerational Justice< free of charge and
non-binding.
***************************************************************************
Here you can find PDF versions of our English editions of >Intergenerational Justice< at: http://www.intergenerationaljustice.org/images/stories/publications/ijr_3_2005.pdf
To unsubscribe to this newsletter, just click on the button >unsubscribe< on www.intergenerationaljustice.org--
--We are always please to receive your news, views and feedback.
Kind regards, The E-Newsletter Editors
Foundation for the Rights of Future Generations
P.O. Box 5115
D-61422 Oberursel
Tel: +49-(0) 61 71 - 98 23 67
Fax: +49-(0) 61 71 - 95 25 66
E-Mail: kontakt(at)srzg.de
Homepage: www.intergenerationaljustice.org
---
Board of Directors:
Dr. Joerg Tremmel (Chair)
Dr. Laura Tremmel
Adrian Schell
Tobias Kemnitzer
Frank Schmilowski
---
Board of Trustees:
Prof. Dr. Rolf Kreibich (Chair)
Prof. Dr. Ortwin Renn
Prof. Dr. Dr. Franz-Josef Radermacher
Dr. Juergen Borchert
Dr. Martin Thunert
Anna Luehrmann
----Copyright © 2007 SRzG
|
