Does Being Intergenerationally Accountable Resolve the Intergenerational Sustainability Dilemma?

Abstract

We address whether intergenerational accountability (IA) is effective at maintaining intergenerational sustainability (IS) by conducting lab-in-the-field experiments of IS dilemma games. In a baseline treatment, a sequence of six generations, each composed of three members, was organized, and each generation chose whether to maintain IS (sustainable option) or maximize their payoff by imposing costs on future generations (unsustainable option) via deliberation. In IA, each generation was asked to provide reasons and advice to subsequent generations, along with the decision. Results indicate that IA induces generations to choose the sustainable option with positive reasons and advice, enhancing IS.