‘Abundance’ Calls for Supply-Side Progressivism to Tackle U.S. Infrastructure and Climate Challenges

Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson’s new book advocates for results-driven governance, critiquing procedural barriers and proposing reforms to enable growth and efficiency.

• The book argues that decades of progressive policies have prioritized proceduralism and redistribution over tangible outcomes, hindering housing, infrastructure, and green energy development.
• Klein and Thompson highlight regulatory barriers, such as the California Environmental Quality Act, which they say has been misused to block construction projects, including renewable energy initiatives.
• The authors propose a government approach focused on measurable outcomes, citing Pennsylvania’s rapid bridge reconstruction as a model for efficient governance.
• Drawing comparisons with China’s rapid infrastructure growth, the book critiques the U.S. for its inability to complete large-scale projects, such as high-speed rail and green energy systems.
• Critics warn that the book’s emphasis on outcomes over ideology risks being co-opted by deregulatory agendas or failing to address systemic issues like corporate monopolies.

3 Articles

The Atlantic Noahpinion Reason.com