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Recent Articles
I’d Like to Believe California Can Be Saved from the LeftJune 8, 2026 - 11:45 am
The Strange Afterlife of FascismJune 5, 2026 - 11:40 am
Steve Hilton’s Rise Won’t Kill California ProgressivismJune 3, 2026 - 11:40 am
The Anti-AI Backlash is Building Against Tech Oligarchs Playing GodJune 1, 2026 - 11:40 am
Virtual Town Hall: California Feudalism – Addressing California’s Inequality Crisis
/in California, The EconomyJoin a presentation on Kotkin and Toplanksky’s research brief —California Feudalism: A Strategy to Restore California’s Middle Class— discussing California’s inequality crisis and how to restore our state’s dream.
Triumph of the Oligarchs
/in Politics, The EconomyAlready ascendant beforehand, tech oligarchs are riding the current pandemic crisis to unprecedented dominion over our ever-weakening Republic.
The Green Civil War
/in Politics, The EconomyLike many contemporary social movements, the environmental lobby has pushed the “science” as something settled and immutable. Yet in recent months, there has been growing criticism about the current green orthodoxy, including from people long associated with environmental causes.
Rural-Urban Migration and Class Structure in China With Li Sun
/in Demographics, Podcast, Rural Policy, Urban AffairsIn episode 3 of Feudal Future podcast, Joel Kotkin & Marshall Toplansky interview guest Li Sun about her research on China’s urbanization and globalization.
Neo-Feudalism in California
/in California, The Economy, Urban AffairsRather than the vanguard of a more egalitarian future, California has become the progenitor of a new form of feudalism characterized by gross inequality and increasingly rigid class lines.
The Rebellion of America’s New Underclass
/in Demographics, The Economy, Urban AffairsLike so many before them, our recent disorders have been rooted in issues of race. But in the longer run, the underlying causes of our growing civic breakdown go beyond the brutal police killing of George Floyd. Particularly in our core cities, our dysfunction is a result of our increasingly large, and increasingly multi-racial, class of neo-serfs.
A New Age of Feudalism for the Working Class?
/in The Economymany of the pioneering firms—such as Hewlett-Packard, Intel, and IBM—were widely praised for treating their lower-level workers as part of the company and deserving of opportunities for advancement, as well as benefits including health insurance and a pension.
From tragedy to opportunity: We could live better when today’s mayhem ends
/in California, Demographics, The Economy, Urban AffairsBeyond the depressing statistics, the deserted malls, the looted or abandoned Main Streets, lies the potential to use the pandemic to create the impetus for better, more sustainable and family-centric communities.
Telework, Telehealth & Real Estate After The Pandemic With Dan Young
/in Podcast, The EconomyIn the second episode of the Feudal Future podcast, Joel Kotkin & Marshall Toplansky talk with Dan Young about telework and telehealth in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Coronavirus: Why California’s Small Businesses May Not Survive
/in California, Politics, The EconomyWhatever the medical benefits achieved from the prolonged coronavirus lockdown, California’s small business community will be suffering severe symptoms, likely for decades to come.