Summary: Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson’s “abundance” thesis calls on Democrats to shift from procedural fights to delivering tangible public goods — notably housing, infrastructure and clean energy. Klein uses rising housing costs in Democratic-governed areas and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s unmet 3.5 million home pledge to illustrate the challenge. The movement has spurred civic groups and renewed YIMBY momentum, but Klein stresses that success will be judged by actual delivery, not rhetoric.
Ezra Klein’s 'Abundance' Year: Can Democrats Deliver the Goods?
A suburban neighborhood in Elmont, New York, in July 2019. | John Keating/Newsday RM via Getty Images
Ezra Klein’s argument about “abundance” — that Democratic governments must focus less on process and more on delivering tangible results — became a dominant political theme in 2025 after he and Derek Thompson published a book by the same name. The debate centers on whether leaders in Democratic-run places can actually produce the homes, infrastructure and clean energy their voters need.
What Is the Abundance Agenda?
Klein and Thompson define the abundance agenda as a governing ethos that prioritizes producing necessary public goods quickly and at scale. It asks: how can a progressive government build fast enough to meet goals like decarbonization, expanded transit and affordable housing?
Housing: The Central Test
Housing shortages and rising prices are the clearest and most politically painful example. Klein argues that in many Democratic-led cities and states — notably California, New York and Massachusetts — housing supply has failed to keep pace with demand, pushing costs far beyond what working and middle-class families can afford. He contrasts that with places such as Austin and Houston, where new construction has helped absorb population growth and kept housing relatively more affordable.
“I see my job as trying to create good ideas built on an honest assessment of the world that will lead to things being better,” Klein told Today, Explained host Astead Herndon. “I would love it if that at this moment did not seem quite so partisan.”
Klein highlights Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pledge to build 3.5 million homes as emblematic: Newsom has signed numerous housing bills and pursued litigation to override local obstruction, yet remains far from that goal — underscoring how difficult it is to reverse a political equilibrium that defaults to saying “no.”
Beyond Housing: Decarbonization And Infrastructure
Abundance also applies to the energy transition. Klein notes that decarbonization requires rapid deployment of transmission lines, EV chargers, solar panels and wind turbines — projects that are often slowed by permitting, local resistance and fragmented authorities. The agenda argues for aligning institutions and incentives so large-scale projects can move forward faster.
From Ideas To Movement
The book and accompanying essays have inspired civic groups, campus chapters and renewed YIMBY activism. Klein and Thompson acknowledge they are building on a preexisting movement — from local housing advocates to reform-minded policy thinkers — and that framing these efforts under the banner of abundance gives them greater political coherence.
Politics And Delivery
Klein is careful to distinguish rhetoric from results. He welcomes a range of politicians adopting abundance language — from Gavin Newsom to New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani — but emphasizes the real test is delivery. “Abundance Democrats,” he says, will be defined by whether they actually build housing, transit and clean energy infrastructure, not by the slogans they use.
Klein also situates the debate within broader concerns about democracy: he sees strengthening government capacity to deliver as part of defending liberal democratic institutions against illiberal forces that seek to hollow out those institutions.
Bottom Line
The abundance agenda reframes progressive goals as engineering problems that require institutional reform, clearer incentives and political will. Its future influence will hinge not on how catchy the term is, but on whether Democratic leaders can convert ambition into measurable outcomes: affordable homes, functioning transit and a faster energy transition.
