Intergenerational Foresight 2026

Public bailouts are sometimes necessary. They can stabilize systems, protect livelihoods and prevent cascading harm. Yet across North America and the Caribbean, bailouts have also become one of the most consequential long-term decisions made under pressure. When decision-makers design rescue for speed alone, they can reinforce moral hazard, concentrate authority and lock in risks that future generations inherit.This regional provocation reframes the bailout moment as a point of foresight leverage. It asks whether decision-makers can redesign the rules of rescue so that each major intervention reduces future vulnerability, strengthens legitimacy and expands the option space for those who will live longest with the consequences.What if no public bailout in our region could proceed without a binding, enforceable commitment to structural change, co-created with the communities most affected? North America and the Caribbean C Intergenerational Foresight: An Approach for Long-Term Responsibility in Governance 20