Gerontocracy in a comparative perspective: Explaining why political leaders are (almost always) older than their constituents

Abstract

Gerontocracy, in its narrowest sense, refers to political systems ruled by elderly people, whether de jure or de facto. Although formal gerontocratic rules are progressively disappearing, contemporary political systems are still governed by individuals who are significantly older than the mean voter. This article reviews existing explanations for the prevalence of gerontocracy. To summarize main findings, gerontocracy cannot be explained by the leadership qualities of older rulers: aging leaders do not perform better in office and voters seem to be aware of it. Instead, existing research suggests that gerontocracy can be explained by strategic considerations. In autocracies, the selectorate tends to choose aging leaders in order to reduce their expected tenure length. In democracies, voters are more likely to select experienced candidates, which they expect to be more effective at advancing the interests of their constituency: this premium put on experience mechanically lengthens political careers and increases the age of the average politician. Finally, older voters, which participate more in politics, tend to prefer older politicians, because they (correctly) expect them to better defend their own interests.

Travel to and from the United States and Foreign Leader Approval

“…From one perspective, we may expect older leaders will have higher approval levels due to the greater political and life experiences that come with age. Although some research indicates that voters generally prefer (slightly) older leaders (Magni‐Berton and Panel 2021), other research indicates older leaders perform less effectively in office than younger ones (Atella and Carbonari 2017). To my knowledge, the age‐approval hypothesis, which expects approval to be negatively related to leader age, has never been tested.…”

Intergenerational income distribution before and after the great recession: winners and losers

“…One of the reasons behind this may be gerontocracy caused by ageing (Montén & Thum, 2010 ) and manifested in the political power of older voters. As Magni-Berton and Panel ( 2021 ) point, ‘older voters, which participate more in politics, tend to prefer older politicians, because they (correctly) expect them to better defend their own interests’. Thus, gerontocracy as the results of ageing can lead to income distribution that is beneficial for their generation at the expense of the younger cohorts.…”

Youth without Representation

“…Yet the reality in many countries is that political candidates benefit from their "political experience, " as accumulated merit is often a strong-or the only-criterion for nomination (Magni-Berton and Panel 2021). Seasoned players tend to have better connections within the party as well.…”

“…We believe that young politicians are more likely to push new issues to the agenda than older ones. 8 Bidadanure (2015a8 Bidadanure ( , 2021 points out further that gerontocracy has many undesirable properties, not the least of which being that it lowers the ability to achieve intergenerational justice, which is arguably salient when future generations are at risk from today's decisions (see also Magni-Berton and Panel 2021). For example, young leaders are likely to have a different stand in a range of issues, which not only includes global warming but also issues like gender equality or same-sex marriage.…”

“…The responses from candidates and legislators in Sweden and Switzerland lead us to believe that similar rules to the one in the United States exist in Sweden and Switzerland as well. Magni-Berton and Panel (2021) note that the political elite in a country with an older leadership has a fundamental incentive to keep such formal and informal rules in place; it shields them from the influence of newcomers. We believe that parliaments should analyze and reform many of these principles of seniority.…”