Feudal Future

Joel Kotkin & Marshall Toplansky

With the new class structure resembling that of the Medieval times, opportunity is quickly disappearing for small business people, property owners, skilled workers and private sector professionals. Join world-renown author Joel Kotkin and tech-entrepreneur Marshall Toplansky as they explore what we can do to liberate the global middle class. They sit down with business, government, and citizen leaders to uncover the trends and give you the insights and tools to forge a better future. Joel Kotkin is the Presidential Fellow in Urban Futures at Chapman University, Executive Director of the Urban Reform Institute, and an internationally-recognized authority on global, economic, political and social trends. His most recent book, The Coming of Neo-Feudalism is now available for pre-order. Marshall N. Toplansky is a widely published and award-winning marketing professional and successful entrepreneur. He co-founded KPMG's data andanalytics center of excellence and now teaches and consults corporations on their analytics strategies. This show is supported by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time.

  1. 5D AGO

    Career Launch in the Age of AI

    Entry-level hiring is getting squeezed, but the reasons aren’t as simple as “the economy is bad.” We sit down with David Brown, Americas CEO of Hays, and James Dusserre, assistant dean for placement and career services, to map what the 2026 job market actually looks like for new grads and early career professionals. The surprising part: GDP and unemployment can look okay while companies still pull back on junior openings, because the expectation of AI-driven productivity is changing how leaders plan headcount.  We dig into “slow to hire, slow to fire,” job hugging, and why reduced movement higher up the ladder hits first-time job seekers the hardest. From there, we explore the bigger questions AI raises: are jobs being eliminated now, or is fear of what’s coming freezing decisions? What happens to an organization in three to five years if it stops hiring and developing young talent? And where do guardrails fit when work is tied to identity, purpose, and social stability?  Then we get practical. When AI can generate both job descriptions and perfectly tailored resumes, “just apply online” becomes a losing strategy. We share a modern playbook for job search and career growth: referrals, targeted outreach to hiring managers, research-led messages, professional portfolios, first 90-day plans, and even short video introductions that cut through the noise. We also talk entrepreneurship and why younger workers increasingly treat careers as a portfolio of experiences, not a single ladder.  If you know someone graduating soon or trying to land that first serious role, share this conversation with them. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us what’s working (or not working) in your job search right now. Support Our Work The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff. Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world. For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director for the Center for Demographics and Policy, at (714) 744-7635 or asghari@chapman.edu. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-feudal-future-podcast/ Tweet thoughts: @joelkotkin, @mtoplansky, #FeudalFuture #BeyondFeudalism Learn more about Joel's book 'The Coming of Neo-Feudalism': https://amzn.to/3a1VV87 Sign Up For News & Alerts: http://joelkotkin.com/#subscribe This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time.

    31 min

  2. MAR 12

    Is there a new Religious Revival?

    Religious belief is supposed to fade as societies get richer and more educated. So why do newer surveys show the opposite pattern in the United States, with college grads and post grads often *more* likely to attend church than people with only a high school education? We unpack what the data can and cannot prove, why earlier secularization theories missed key realities, and how a smaller but more committed religious share can still look like a “revival” in daily life. We also get into the deeper driver behind the numbers: meaning. For many young adults, especially Gen Z, the loss of stable community and shared moral language can feel like a vacuum. We talk through why “science versus faith” is often framed as a conflict, how that framing breaks down in real life, and why congregations can function as durable social institutions that provide belonging, support, and a place to raise kids with values that feel coherent. Zooming out globally, the story changes fast. Western Europe continues to secularize, but the global south tells a different tale. We explore why sub Saharan Africa may become the centerpiece of global Christianity, from fertility rates and a very young age structure to the practical role churches play where public institutions are weak. We also debate the risks of religion blending with partisan politics and the growing connection between schooling choices, religious communities, and family life. If you found this conversation useful, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest question about where faith, community, and demographics are headed next. Support Our Work The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff. Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world. For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director for the Center for Demographics and Policy, at (714) 744-7635 or asghari@chapman.edu. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-feudal-future-podcast/ Tweet thoughts: @joelkotkin, @mtoplansky, #FeudalFuture #BeyondFeudalism Learn more about Joel's book 'The Coming of Neo-Feudalism': https://amzn.to/3a1VV87 Sign Up For News & Alerts: http://joelkotkin.com/#subscribe This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time.

    48 min

  3. FEB 23

    From Policy To Permits, Here’s How We Unlock Affordable Housing

    California’s housing crisis isn’t a riddle; it’s a chain reaction. We trace it from land policy and restrictive growth boundaries to code complexity, construction costs, and the quiet social fallout inside families, schools, synagogues, and neighborhoods. With demographers, advocates, and veteran builders around the table, we unpack why the median home price-to-income ratio ballooned, how the land share of a home soared past construction, and why four million people have left since 2000. We share the human side too. A sociologist reveals how rising housing costs cut synagogue membership nearly in half among families most likely to join, as tighter budgets crowd out camp and education. Advocates argue for choice—compact, walkable neighborhoods for those who want them and room for larger lots inland—while spotlighting how public meetings are dominated by a few voices. The call is direct: younger residents and employers must show up so councils hear the demand for attainable ownership and missing-middle homes. From the jobsite, developers explain what actually moves the needle. Modular manufacturing compresses timelines and slashes vertical costs, while disciplined preconstruction and fast pay keep trades engaged. We dig into how layered fire, structural, plumbing, and zoning codes shrink the set of buildable solutions, stalling adaptive reuse and office-to-housing conversions. The path forward blends targeted code modernization with strong enforcement, faster approvals, and a regional lens that points to the Inland Empire’s scale, jobs pipeline, and remaining land as the state’s most realistic release valve. We close with a grounded view on homelessness: build dedicated supportive options at lower cost per bed, and simultaneously build far more homes for everyone to prevent people from falling into homelessness in the first place. If you care about affordability, mobility, and the future of California’s middle class, this conversation offers a practical playbook—align land policy, simplify codes, cut build times, and reclaim the civic microphone. If this episode resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who cares about housing, and leave a review with the one change you’d make in your city. Your voice helps build more homes. Support Our Work The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff. Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world. For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director for the Center for Demographics and Policy, at (714) 744-7635 or asghari@chapman.edu. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-feudal-future-podcast/ Tweet thoughts: @joelkotkin, @mtoplansky, #FeudalFuture #BeyondFeudalism Learn more about Joel's book 'The Coming of Neo-Feudalism': https://amzn.to/3a1VV87 Sign Up For News & Alerts: http://joelkotkin.com/#subscribe This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time.

    54 min

  4. FEB 6

    Populism’s Pulse Today

    Populism gets blamed for everything from polarization to democratic decay—but what if the louder story is a search for voice and belonging? We sit down with sociologist Frank Furedi to unpack why so many voters are breaking with legacy parties and why the energy behind these movements is less about recession and more about culture. From national identity and neighborly trust to the norms families rely on, we explore the deeper drivers that explain why reform-minded parties are rising across the West. We trace how media fragmentation reshaped the battlefield. As old gatekeepers lost their monopoly, social and alternative outlets gave “outsiders” room to speak—and to find each other. Furedi highlights examples from the UK and Europe, including GB News’ surge and the growth of platforms that challenge the status quo. That shift helps explain both the momentum behind new movements and the fierce backlash to them, as cultural elites struggle to reassert legitimacy. The conversation moves through the demographics of support—why towns and smaller cities, where people raise children and invest in place, often embrace cultural populism more than hyper-urban cores. We dig into whether a left version of populism can last, what happens when movements become bigger than parties, and how “common sense” doubles as both a set of taken-for-granted truths and a social glue. Furedi argues we’re not in a neat cycle; we’re in a new landscape with diffuse elites, weak class identity, and rising pre-ideological movements seeking a public language that feels real. If you’re curious about why voters are rejecting legacy institutions, how culture outpaces economics in shaping allegiance, and what it would take to rebuild a shared civic conversation, this episode offers a grounded, hopeful lens. Subscribe, share with a friend who cares about the future of democracy, and leave a review to join the debate. Support Our Work The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff. Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world. For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director for the Center for Demographics and Policy, at (714) 744-7635 or asghari@chapman.edu. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-feudal-future-podcast/ Tweet thoughts: @joelkotkin, @mtoplansky, #FeudalFuture #BeyondFeudalism Learn more about Joel's book 'The Coming of Neo-Feudalism': https://amzn.to/3a1VV87 Sign Up For News & Alerts: http://joelkotkin.com/#subscribe This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time.

    31 min

  5. JAN 20

    Censorship, Power, And The Internet

    What if the internet that promised liberation ended up centralizing control over what we see, share, and believe? We sit down with Jake Siegel—journalist, former Army intelligence officer, and author of The Information State—to trace how a tool built for openness became the backbone of a new information order. Starting with the Internet Freedom Agenda and moving through 9/11’s surveillance shift, we connect the dots between national security priorities, platform consolidation, and the collapse of the traditional press. Jake explains why tech has never been just another private industry; it’s a strategic one, born from wartime research and guided for decades by government direction. That origin story matters when assessing how Google, Facebook, and other platforms became the de facto publishers of our time. We talk through programs like Total Information Awareness, the rebranding of surveillance power under progressive aims, and the moment distribution power slipped from newsrooms to feeds. The Hunter Biden laptop saga becomes more than a controversy—it’s a case study in how quickly platforms can narrow the public square. The conversation turns to first principles. If algorithms optimize for niches rather than a shared audience, polarization isn’t a bug—it’s the business model. Add generative AI and the volume, velocity, and personalization of influence campaigns explode, while the provenance of speech grows murkier. Jake argues that anti-censorship alone can’t solve a system tuned to turn speech into noise. We weigh remedies: reining in information monopolies, rebuilding local journalism, demanding transparency in ranking systems, and developing verifiable provenance for synthetic media. If you care about free speech, election integrity, and the future of democratic debate, this is a candid map of how we got here and what needs to change. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves media history and tech policy, and leave a review with your take on the toughest fix we discussed. Support Our Work The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff. Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world. For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director for the Center for Demographics and Policy, at (714) 744-7635 or asghari@chapman.edu. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-feudal-future-podcast/ Tweet thoughts: @joelkotkin, @mtoplansky, #FeudalFuture #BeyondFeudalism Learn more about Joel's book 'The Coming of Neo-Feudalism': https://amzn.to/3a1VV87 Sign Up For News & Alerts: http://joelkotkin.com/#subscribe This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time.

    41 min

  6. JAN 8

    How Automation Is Reshaping Jobs, Education, And Opportunity

    Want a clear-eyed map of where AI is taking jobs, education, and leadership over the next five years? We dig past the headlines to examine why tech profits can soar while layoffs spread, why white-collar roles are suddenly vulnerable, and how students and mid-career professionals can protect their earnings in a market that rewards speed, strategy, and human touch. We unpack the difference between robots and cobots, showing how “human-in-the-loop” work changes which skills pay. Our guests lay out the roles most at risk—process-bound, formulaic, and repetitive—and the ones likely to endure: teachers, therapists, coaches, skilled trades, hands-on healthcare, and high-variance problem solvers. We also confront the student debt crisis head-on, tracing how policy fueled runaway tuition and what would change if bankruptcy protections returned. From there, we outline a practical reset for higher education: teach with AI, not against it; rebuild core critical thinking; expand internships and live projects; and use hybrid learning to cut costs while preserving high-value, face-to-face mentorship. Leadership gets a hard reboot too. Process optimization will be automated; intuition, synthesis, and empathy rise in value. Breadth beats narrow specialization as careers stretch across a dozen roles and multiple industries. We close with a grounded forecast: consolidation among AI winners, pressure on mid-tier firms, rapid white-collar automation, on-demand expectations everywhere, and a premium on social, strategic, and tactile work. If you’re choosing a major, planning a pivot, or leading a team, this conversation offers concrete ways to stay relevant and resilient. If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick rating. Your feedback helps more listeners find conversations that prepare them for the future of work. Support Our Work The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff. Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world. For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director for the Center for Demographics and Policy, at (714) 744-7635 or asghari@chapman.edu. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-feudal-future-podcast/ Tweet thoughts: @joelkotkin, @mtoplansky, #FeudalFuture #BeyondFeudalism Learn more about Joel's book 'The Coming of Neo-Feudalism': https://amzn.to/3a1VV87 Sign Up For News & Alerts: http://joelkotkin.com/#subscribe This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time.

    56 min

  7. 12/23/2025

    2025 in Review: A Decade of Demographics & Policy

    The headlines shout about winners and losers, but the real story this year is a quiet break in the social fabric: rising costs, collapsing civility, and a middle class pushed to the margins while trillion-dollar platforms set the rules. We take stock without the wishful thinking—where leadership fell short, why media trust eroded, and how populist energy devolved into a performance economy. Then we chart a path that doesn’t wait for national saviors: rebuild the basics at the scale where life is actually lived. We dig into the mechanics of housing failure—land costs, fee stacks, and “solutions” that produce $3,500 one-bedrooms—and connect the dots to fertility declines and stalled mobility. We separate immigration myths from needs, arguing for policy that matches real shortages in skilled trades and technical roles rather than defaulting to elite preferences. And we confront the AI wildcard: consolidation of market power, creative jobs under pressure, and a creeping culture of low-effort knowledge that hollows out curiosity. The turnaround starts hyperlocal. Parents are reasserting standards through charter, parochial, and homeschool options. Neighbors who disagree politically still shovel each other’s driveways and show up for city hall, building the trust that national media can’t supply. Homeownership emerges as social glue—creating stake, stability, and responsibility—and we explore practical ways to expand it alongside vocational pipelines that open high-wage work. If the system feels feudal, the counterweight is community: family first, neighborhood next, and a renewed civic culture that values competence over slogans. If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who cares about their block as much as their feed, and leave a review to help others find it. Your voice in your community is the lever—let’s put it to work. Support Our Work The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff. Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world. For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director for the Center for Demographics and Policy, at (714) 744-7635 or asghari@chapman.edu. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-feudal-future-podcast/ Tweet thoughts: @joelkotkin, @mtoplansky, #FeudalFuture #BeyondFeudalism Learn more about Joel's book 'The Coming of Neo-Feudalism': https://amzn.to/3a1VV87 Sign Up For News & Alerts: http://joelkotkin.com/#subscribe This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time.

    36 min

  8. 12/09/2025

    Faith in Flux: Tracking America’s Religious Shift

    The ground beneath American religion is shifting, but not in a straight line. We dig into why the country’s casual middle is shrinking while conviction grows at the edges—among communities that ask more, not less. With Charles Murray and Terry Mattingley, we trace the data on mainline decline, the plateau of the “nones,” and the surprising surge in tradition-forward spaces where authority, discipline, and community still shape everyday life. We share stories of parishes packed with young families, churches doubling in size, and the blunt metrics that signal real health: marriages, infant baptisms, converts, and the courage to pursue priestly and pastoral vocations. We also confront the cultural currents pulling people away from depth—screen addiction, self-curated spirituality, and institutions that trade doctrine for vague activism. This isn’t a nostalgia tour; it’s a sober look at what actually sustains faith communities and why some pews fill while others empty. Then we turn to the frontier where science and meaning meet. From fine-tuning in cosmology to open debates about consciousness, we explore how modern research sometimes reopens questions many thought were closed. That’s helping restore intellectual space for belief among scholars and professionals who once stayed silent. As cultural flashpoints force practical choices—about family, education, and fairness in sports—the so‑called muddy middle faces a reckoning. The future seems clearest where belief makes demands and communities deliver belonging. Join us for a candid, data-aware tour of America’s religious present and near future. If this conversation challenged or encouraged you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review so more curious listeners can find us. Support Our Work The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff. Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world. For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director for the Center for Demographics and Policy, at (714) 744-7635 or asghari@chapman.edu. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-feudal-future-podcast/ Tweet thoughts: @joelkotkin, @mtoplansky, #FeudalFuture #BeyondFeudalism Learn more about Joel's book 'The Coming of Neo-Feudalism': https://amzn.to/3a1VV87 Sign Up For News & Alerts: http://joelkotkin.com/#subscribe This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time.

    39 min
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4.6
out of 5
37 Ratings

About

With the new class structure resembling that of the Medieval times, opportunity is quickly disappearing for small business people, property owners, skilled workers and private sector professionals. Join world-renown author Joel Kotkin and tech-entrepreneur Marshall Toplansky as they explore what we can do to liberate the global middle class. They sit down with business, government, and citizen leaders to uncover the trends and give you the insights and tools to forge a better future. Joel Kotkin is the Presidential Fellow in Urban Futures at Chapman University, Executive Director of the Urban Reform Institute, and an internationally-recognized authority on global, economic, political and social trends. His most recent book, The Coming of Neo-Feudalism is now available for pre-order. Marshall N. Toplansky is a widely published and award-winning marketing professional and successful entrepreneur. He co-founded KPMG's data andanalytics center of excellence and now teaches and consults corporations on their analytics strategies. This show is supported by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time.

Information

  • Creator
    Joel Kotkin & Marshall Toplansky
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    145
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Feudal Future
  • Show Website
    Feudal Future

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