Abundanza! The Future of Gendel III

h/t - Zwaremetalen239

from Google AI:

The politics of abundance is a modern political philosophy that advocates for prioritizing growth, innovation, and large-scale public investment to increase the supply of essential goods and services. It is presented as a progressive alternative to a "politics of scarcity," which proponents argue has stalled progress and created gridlock by focusing on redistribution and regulation. 

Core tenets and goals

The abundance agenda seeks to overcome what it identifies as a decades-long trend of artificially suppressed supply in critical areas, often due to regulatory hurdles and a focus on process over results. Its core goals include: 

• Expansion, not just redistribution: Proponents argue that focusing solely on redistributing existing wealth and resources creates zero-sum conflicts. Instead, they propose growing the total supply of key goods so that everyone can have more.
• Emphasis on building: A central theme is the need to make it easier to "build, baby, build" for a more prosperous future. This applies to housing, clean energy, transportation, and infrastructure.
• Liberalism that builds: The abundance agenda is often framed as a way for liberals to reclaim their identity as builders rather than just protectors. It suggests a hands-on government that creatively acts on public goals rather than being tied down by procedural checks.
• Technological innovation: It champions using technology and public investment to remove artificial scarcities, such as through large-scale clean energy projects and improved infrastructure. 

Key areas of focus

The politics of abundance has been applied to several policy areas, particularly in the United States:

• Housing: A central issue for the abundance movement is the national housing shortage and high costs, which it attributes to restrictive zoning and regulations. It aligns with the YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard) movement, which pushes for more housing construction.
• Energy: Advocates call for removing regulatory obstacles to build more clean energy infrastructure, including solar, wind, and geothermal projects.
• Infrastructure: The agenda seeks to streamline processes for building public infrastructure, contrasting its approach with famously over-budget and delayed projects like California's high-speed rail.
• Healthcare and education: Beyond physical infrastructure, the movement also extends to expanding the supply of high-quality services in healthcare and education. 

Origin and recent developments

The modern abundance movement has gained significant attention following the 2025 book Abundance by New York Times columnist Ezra Klein and The Atlantic staff writer Derek Thompson. 

• Intellectual foundation: The ideas behind abundance have been developed by think tanks like the Niskanen Center, with roots in earlier critiques of regulatory stagnation by figures like Matthew Yglesias.
• Political momentum: The movement has rapidly gained traction, particularly within the moderate wing of the Democratic Party.
  • An "Abundance Elected Network" was launched in September 2025, involving over 120 lawmakers.
  • Prominent Democratic politicians like California Governor Gavin Newsom have echoed the movement's themes of building and innovation.
• Political polarization: Supporters believe the abundance agenda can appeal to voters across the political spectrum by focusing on growth and cost of living, while critics on the populist left have pushed back. 

Criticisms

The politics of abundance has drawn criticism from several quarters: 

• Ignores corporate power: Critics argue that the abundance agenda focuses too heavily on regulation while ignoring how corporate power and monopoly practices inhibit supply and innovation.
• Dismisses public input: Some have argued that the agenda risks dismissing the value of public input and environmental reviews in favor of faster development, potentially harming communities.
• Understated effectiveness: Critics point out that some policy prescriptions, such as zoning reform, may not lead to the sweeping changes that proponents promise.
• Repackaged neoliberalism: Some on the left view the abundance agenda as a rebranded version of neoliberalism that emphasizes deregulation and growth over addressing concentrated power.