John Cooper

Renegotiating the Intergenerational Contract

It’s reasonably safe to say that parents expect their children to be better off than they were at the same age. Polling shows that, across age groups, the majority of people expect the next generation to have better living standards than the previous one. However, the figures also reveal a consensus that this expectation is not being met. Given that the unique challenges facing the younger generation are widely recognised, what is standing in the way of making progress in re-balancing the intergenerational contract? The debate is often framed as a generational battle, but the answers are more likely to lie in mutual sacrifice and collaboration, than in a fight to reinforce the interests of one group at the expense of another.