"David Klemperer's paper argues that the overrepresentation in the electoral system of older voters is skewing the incentives on economic policy. Increasing the turnout of younger, poorer and more insecure voters by mandatory voting would 'make it harder for politicians to allow stagnation, and easier for them to pursue growth', it argues.
"There’s a growing body of academic work that links an ageing electorate (and one in which the old are more inclined to vote) to economic stagnation in Britain and beyond. I aired the case in 2020; the argument has also been made by Torsten Bell, the pensions minister, in his recent book; and Tim Vlandas, a professor at the University of Oxford, who coined the term 'gerontonomia'—the tendency of ageing electorates to induce lower growth. (I profiled his work in a piece on Labour’s youthful electoral coalition.)
"The argument in the paper is not that older people are somehow selfish, or indifferent to the country’s well-being. Rather it is simply that their role in the economy—out of the labour market, often having accumulated property, and with reliable pension incomes—makes them, as a cohort, less sensitive to economic downturns, less invested in wage growth and much more exposed to inflation than working-age voters. The result is a 'post-economic voting block' which is less likely to reward governments that pursue productivity boosters (such as **building houses and infrastructure**, or promoting education and trade liberalisation) and less inclined to punish those that oversee weak growth. You can see this mirrored in attitudes to Brexit, a growth-choker that was most popular among the retired."
I'm a senior who does not own a home and can't afford my rent. I don't own a car. I have more in common with young people than those my own age. I was too disgusted by this article to read it in its entirety. Ageism in our society is already alive and well without this offensive shit. We remaining boomers can't die off fast enough for you? Wait til you're past 60 and see how you feel. Your life expectancy by then may be 120. Hope so. It would serve you right. Work until you're 100.
Goodness, goodness ... you persist with aggravating a generational divide. Why such lazy thinking - or is it to manipulate through ignorance and anger? There are some excellent articles on Sub-stack dealing with economics from experts. Check-out Steve Keen. He posts lots of articles. Or read some articles by Dougald Lamont. Please inform yourself. Perhaps have a chat with PM Carney - although he's very busy dealing with tariff economics.
It turns out that while a lot of youth activity 'on-line' suggests they are the disinformation feed but alas, all generations (on-line) are complicit.
Even if seniors wanted to prioritize economic growth, they aren’t in touch with the realities that working voters have to deal with and easily swayed by propaganda.
The Economist's Matthew Holehouse describes arguments along the same lines: older voters are less likely to prioritize economic growth. https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/07/22/blighty-newsletter-can-electoral-reform-fix-britains-growth
"David Klemperer's paper argues that the overrepresentation in the electoral system of older voters is skewing the incentives on economic policy. Increasing the turnout of younger, poorer and more insecure voters by mandatory voting would 'make it harder for politicians to allow stagnation, and easier for them to pursue growth', it argues.
"There’s a growing body of academic work that links an ageing electorate (and one in which the old are more inclined to vote) to economic stagnation in Britain and beyond. I aired the case in 2020; the argument has also been made by Torsten Bell, the pensions minister, in his recent book; and Tim Vlandas, a professor at the University of Oxford, who coined the term 'gerontonomia'—the tendency of ageing electorates to induce lower growth. (I profiled his work in a piece on Labour’s youthful electoral coalition.)
"The argument in the paper is not that older people are somehow selfish, or indifferent to the country’s well-being. Rather it is simply that their role in the economy—out of the labour market, often having accumulated property, and with reliable pension incomes—makes them, as a cohort, less sensitive to economic downturns, less invested in wage growth and much more exposed to inflation than working-age voters. The result is a 'post-economic voting block' which is less likely to reward governments that pursue productivity boosters (such as **building houses and infrastructure**, or promoting education and trade liberalisation) and less inclined to punish those that oversee weak growth. You can see this mirrored in attitudes to Brexit, a growth-choker that was most popular among the retired."
I'm a senior who does not own a home and can't afford my rent. I don't own a car. I have more in common with young people than those my own age. I was too disgusted by this article to read it in its entirety. Ageism in our society is already alive and well without this offensive shit. We remaining boomers can't die off fast enough for you? Wait til you're past 60 and see how you feel. Your life expectancy by then may be 120. Hope so. It would serve you right. Work until you're 100.
Goodness, goodness ... you persist with aggravating a generational divide. Why such lazy thinking - or is it to manipulate through ignorance and anger? There are some excellent articles on Sub-stack dealing with economics from experts. Check-out Steve Keen. He posts lots of articles. Or read some articles by Dougald Lamont. Please inform yourself. Perhaps have a chat with PM Carney - although he's very busy dealing with tariff economics.
It turns out that while a lot of youth activity 'on-line' suggests they are the disinformation feed but alas, all generations (on-line) are complicit.
Even if seniors wanted to prioritize economic growth, they aren’t in touch with the realities that working voters have to deal with and easily swayed by propaganda.