Dr. Samuel Moyn, Kent Professor of Law and History at Yale University, discusses his latest book Gerontocracy in America: How the Old Hoard Power and Wealth, and What to Do About It. In this work, he applies a historical and philosophical lens to a pressing and contentious issue in contemporary American life, the concentration of political and economic power among older generations, and examines its implications for democracy, fairness, and the future. Age has become the central way class is experienced in the United States today, with older Americans disproportionately holding political, economic, and housing power in ways that systematically disadvantage younger generations. Beginning from the perception that leaders are “too old,” Dr. Samuel Moyn shows how gerontocracy is structurally entrenched: older people dominate homeownership and local zoning, block new housing supply, and benefit from a tax regime built for a bygone era of elder precarity, even as many now sit atop significant asset wealth. Drawing on Stuart Hall, he argues that age, like race and gender, is a key vector through which class hierarchy is constructed, visible in aged political and judicial elites, conservative corporate leadership, and policy outcomes that protect senior benefits while underinvesting in children, climate, immigration, and fair property taxation. Dr. Moyn also traces how high senior voter turnout, powerful lobbying groups such as AARP, and the dominance of older donors in campaign finance enable what he calls a “grey lobby” to capture policy, while insisting on the need to distinguish genuinely vulnerable elderly from asset-rich seniors who can and should contribute more. His proposed responses range from pragmatic near-term reforms, such as changing land-use processes, easing voting access for younger workers, and publicly financing campaigns, to deeper structural measures like mandatory retirement ages, tax incentives for earlier intergenerational transfers, and higher property taxes on wealthy homeowners, all underpinned by a cultural shift from clinging to power toward stewardship and acceptance of life’s finitude. Ultimately, he warns that as populations age and birth rates fall, gerontocratic politics will intensify unless societies act now to restore intergenerational fairness before the current imbalance becomes irreversible. This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. Disclaimer: 1. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy, and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music. 2. Dr. Samuel Moyn shared key insights from his book, “Gerontocracy in America: How the Old Hoard Power and Wealth, and What to Do About It”, in an engaging episode of the Business Talk podcast. The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so changing any graphics, music, or on-screen appearance of the author or host is not allowed.
