The Case for an ‘Anti-Abundance’ Agenda
Just as liberalism must find a way to say yes to infrastructure and other public goods, it must find a way to say no to too much stuff and stimulation.
An abundance of wrong.
Photographer: Smith Collection/Gado/Archive PhotosEzra Klein and Derek Thompson’s new book, Abundance: How We Build a Better Future is a rare thing: a serious book on public policy that has also launched a movement. Senior Democratic politicians have taken to name-checking the book (and progressive activists to denouncing it). Abundance clubs have formed in cities across blue America.
I think the argument is sound as far as it goes (though lots of other people such as Brink Lindsey, Steven Teles, Marc Andreessen and Philip K. Howard have been making a similar case for years). Progressive politicians have got in the way of progress by privileging interest groups over the common good and following procedure over achieving goals. The result is a shortage of desirable goods such as housing or infrastructure. What Klein and Thompson say about the United States is even more true of the United Kingdom, where the average house price is eight-and-a-bit times the median income compared with five-and-a-bit times in the US.