The Future as a Political Idea

Democracy is future-oriented and self-correcting: today's problems can be solved, we are told, in tomorrow's elections. But the biggest issues facing the modern world – from climate collapse and pandemics to recession and world war – each apparently bring us to the edge of the irreversible. What happens to democracy when the future seems no longer open?

Join us for an event with Jonathan White as he explores how politics has long been directed by shifting visions of the future, from the birth of ideologies in the nineteenth century to Cold War secrecy and the excesses of the neoliberal age.

Drawing on insights from his latest book, In the Long Run, he argues that a political commitment to the long-term may be the best way to safeguard democracy.

He will be in conversation with Peter Allen, Professor of Politics at the University of Bath. There will be time for audience questions.

About the speaker

Jonathan White is Professor of Politics at the London School of Economics. Based at LSE's European Institute, he has published widely on democracy and the politics of emergency. He has written for the Guardian and New Statesman, and received the British Academy Brian Barry Prize for Excellence in Political Science. He is the author of In the Long Run: The Future as a Political Idea.

This event is hosted by the University of Bath

The Chancellors’ Building has level access with double-width automatic doors. There are lifts inside the building. There are accessible toilets inside the building.

Room 1.12 is tiered, with doors at the rear of the room. There are designated spaces for wheelchair users at the rear of the room.

The nearest car park to the building is East Car Park. There are Blue Badge spaces in all campus car parks. View an accessibility map of parking and wheelchair access points on campus. Visit the Campus Car Parks page on AccessAble for more information.

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By Bus

First West of England runs three services between Bath and the University campus:

• The U1 goes between the University, the City Centre and Oldfield Park
• The U2 takes you from Oldfield Park to the University and back again
• Service 20 runs between the University of Bath and Twerton, Wedgwood Road

Service 22 runs a route between Twerton, Combe Down and the University Campus.

Visit the bus section on the website to find out about the bus services you can take to and from the University’s Claverton Down campus.

Cycling and Walking

You can walk or bike from the centre of Bath using North Road, Bathwick Hill or Widcombe Hill. These routes involve a steep uphill climb. It will take 30-40 minutes to walk to campus.

Visit the cycling and walking section on the website for more detail about the routes.

Driving

If you drive to the University, you can use the Pay to Park parking on campus and pay using the JustPark app. There is Pay to Park parking for visitors in the East Car Park and the South Car Park. If you have a Blue Badge, you can use disabled parking spaces free of charge. There are Blue Badge spaces in all campus car parks.

Visit the parking section on the website for more detailed information on parking at the campus.

View an accessibility map of parking and wheelchair access points on campus. Visit the Campus Car Parks page on AccessAble for more information.

Host or Publisher Institute for Policy Research (IPR)