Abundance and the Left
Ezra Klein talks with Bhaskar Sunkara about Abundance, Zohran Mamdani’s victory, and why progressives need a state that works at the speed of their ambitions.
Ezra Klein: “Creating a left that people don’t fear — because what they’re really afraid of is that the government will run things badly — is very important. But that means being both angrier about government failures and more curious about them than even the Right is.” (Lloyd Bishop / NBC / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
In Abundance, Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson argue that administrative bloat is strangling America’s ability to build homes, clean energy, and public goods. Klein spoke with Jacobin’s Bhaskar Sunkara about what this means for the Left — and for any politics serious about governing.
Bhaskar Sunkara
Can you define “abundance” and what makes it distinct from other strains of progressivism?
Ezra Klein
Abundance is the argument that a lot of what is wrong in our society is that we have manufactured scarcities. We have made it too hard to build and create the things people need more of. The places where we focus in the book are housing, clean energy, and state capacity.
Sorry, but this article is available to active subscribers only. Please log in or become a subscriber.