Abundance by Ezra Klein

Abundance

by Ezra Klein

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Politics & PowerSociety & Culture

If you've ever wondered why housing and clean energy take so long to build in America, Klein and Thompson's answer is rules. The ones liberals wrote from the 1970s on to block harmful development now block the good kind too, and their fix is a government judged by results rather than process.

Core ideas
  • Yesterday's fixes: One generation's safeguards become the next one's obstacles, and 1970s environmental rules now slow renewable energy and green construction.
  • Blue-state evidence: California's heavily funded high-speed rail line still hasn't been built, while Texas outbuilds California on both housing and green energy.
  • Both sides concede: Liberals have to admit government often fails to deliver, and conservatives that some government action is necessary.
Published2025
Pages304
ISBN9781668023488
ReadJan 2026

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