Abundance is a bold, bestselling manifesto from Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson that challenges one core idea: America doesn’t suffer from a lack of resources; it suffers from a lack of building.
The authors argue that the country’s greatest problems, ranging from housing to immigration to clean energy, stem from self-imposed scarcity created by outdated rules, political paralysis, and systems that can diagnose problems far more quickly than they can be fixed.
For decades, the authors argue, America has slowly strangled its own capacity to build.
Housing shortages stem from zoning laws meant to “protect.” Worker shortages stem from immigration restrictions meant to “control.”
Climate stagnation comes from environmental review systems meant to “safeguard.” What were once solutions have now become barriers, and the result is a country stuck in a permanent shortage, unable to move ambitious public projects forward on time or on budget.
Abundance calls for a new political mindset rooted in building more, faster, and smarter.
Klein and Thompson advocate for a reevaluation of liberal governance, urging progressives to acknowledge government failures while reminding conservatives that many public goods require robust institutions.
Their message is ultimately hopeful: America can solve its biggest problems, but only if it abandons a politics defined by scarcity and embraces one centered on possibility and capacity.
Key Takeaways:
- America’s major shortages, housing, workers, and clean energy, are the result of self-inflicted policy barriers, not a lack of resources.
- Rules established in the 1970s now hinder the solutions required for the 2020s, creating a gap between problem identification and problem-solving.
- Klein and Thompson call for a new “politics of abundance” that rebuilds America’s ability to act, build, and solve big challenges.
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