Ezra Klein argues in his recent op-ed (and at greater length in his compelling new book with Derek Thompson) that a central problem facing Democrats is the crisis of scarcity. According to Klein, the places where Democrats govern are unaffordable because rules and political cultures constrain production and provision of housing, public transit, childcare, clean energy, and other valuable goods and services—and ultimately hobble effective government. He contends we can solve the pressing problems facing Americans—and offer a retort to Elon Musk and Donald Trump—with a new policy and politics of “abundance.” Abundance, as Klein describes it, is a political movement of supply: Instead of focusing on the (re)distribution of scarce existing resources, politicians should focus on expanding supply.
We agree that abundance is a worthy goal for the progressive movement, as is the project of reforming government to ensure it is delivering goods quickly and effectively.
But in order to be effective, abundance policy must benefit and build power for working- and middle-class Americans rather than enriching and empowering concentrated economic interests and generating a populist backlash that undermines democracy.
In particular, as two scholars of labor and American political economy, we seek to highlight the role that unions—workers’ best instrument for building collective economic and political voice—can play in the abundance movement.
