WIC Colloquium

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Giacomo Bazzani,

University of Florence

How the Future Shapes Decisions in Uncertain Times: Survey Experimental Evidence from Fertility Choices

Wednesday, 30 April 2025

18:00 - 20:00 (CEST)

 (save to your calendar:  .ics-file)

The seminar will be held in person at

PSK Building, Georg Coch Platz 2, 1010 Vienna, 5th floor, meeting room 8

Please register here: https://www.oeaw.ac.at/vid/events/wic-colloquium/wic-colloquium-registration 

Abstract:

The future is constantly intertwined with our actions, whether in everyday decisions like climbing the stairs or in crucial choices such as ensuring a sustainable planet for future generations. But where exactly does the future manifest in daily life? How can we recognize and evaluate its impact on both short-term decisions and long-term projects?

Building on the theoretical framework developed in Futures in Action (Sociology, 2023), this presentation explores the role of expectations, imaginaries, and future narratives in decision-making under uncertainty. Concrete examples from the field of fertility choices will be presented, analyzing how economic, social, and environmental factors shape individuals’ intentions to have children.

Using survey and experimental data, the presentation examines how different representations of the future influence both individual and collective decisions.

About the presenter:

Giacomo Bazzani is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Florence. His research interests include future and agency, prosocial behavior, and sustainability transitions. His contributions have been published in journals such as Sociology, Theory and Society, Sociological Forum, Acta Sociologica, and European Journal of Population. He authored the book When Money Changes Society. The Case of Sardex Money as Community (Springer VS).

This WIC Colloquium will be jointly organized with the Viennese Sociological Association.

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PLEASE SEE https://www.oeaw.ac.at/vid/events/wic-colloquium FOR OUR UPCOMING AND PREVIOUS COLLOQUIA

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