What is the Abundance Agenda?
"If we pass a new federal regulation, will it hurt our ability to build in the real world? Will it make things harder for entrepreneurs?"
What It’s About
This Stand Together interview with James Pethokoukis of the American Enterprise Institute reveals how pandemic-era shortages laid bare deeper structural problems in the US economy. Pethokukis’ "Abundance Agenda" is based on the idea that prosperity comes from breaking through these deep problems, removing the many and multilayered barriers to innovation that restrict economic growth and flourishing.
Upshot
Stand Together highlights:
- The Cost of Shortages: From PPE during the pandemic to housing and energy today, scarcity holds back growth and quality of life
- Lessons from Abroad: Countries like Canada and Japan demonstrate that removing barriers increases prosperity (with their high-skilled immigration policies and housing policies respectively)
- Innovation Requires Freedom: Technological progress and the economic growth it produces depend on allowing entrepreneurs to build and create without excessive regulation
Why It Matters
The interview with Pethokoukis reveals how a series of policy decisions dating back to the 1970s gradually undermined the country's capacity to build and innovate. For Pethokoukis the abundance agenda means undoing those mistakes and regaining our lost dynamism.
Who Wrote It
Stand Together is a philanthropic community that helps America's boldest changemakers tackle the root causes of our country's biggest problems.
James Pethokoukis is a senior fellow and the DeWitt Wallace Chair in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute.
