Ezra Klein and the Abundance debate
Open to Everyone
For the first time, the Ford School has undertaken a school-wide read: Abundance, by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. Students, faculty, and staff all have been given copies and encouraged to think about its themes. The authors argue that the greatest constraints facing the U.S. are not a lack of ideas or resources. They critique a political culture defined by scarcity thinking, regulatory overcomplexity, and incrementalism. Several events will address the overall theme as well as some of the core issues, including energy, infrastructure, and housing.
Author Ezra Klein will address the school virtually and hear from the community about key issues the book has raised.
About the Speaker
Using his trademark depth of policy knowledge and academic research, Ezra Klein gives audiences a systematic look at why American politics is so polarized, and what that polarization has done to electoral institutions, policymaking, and the media.
Klein is a columnist on the New York Times opinion page, host of the award-winning “Ezra Klein Show” podcast, and author of two bestselling books: Why We’re Polarized and his latest, Abundance, which explores how America can break through stagnation and rekindle a sense of shared national possibility. Before that, he was the founder, editor-in-chief, and then editor-at-large of Vox, the explanatory news platform, which has won a bevy of awards and now reaches more than 50 million people each month. He was also a creator and executive producer of its hit Netflix show, “Explained.” Prior to starting Vox, Klein founded and led The Washington Post’s Wonkblog. He is also a columnist for Bloomberg News and a regular contributor/policy analyst for MSNBC. The Economist named him one of the “Minds of the Moment.” In 2011, TIME named his blog one of the 25 best financial blogs and the Society of American Business Editors and Writers named Klein as their 2011 Opinion Columnist of the Year. In 2012, GQ named him to their 50 Most Powerful People in Washington list and Esquire named him to their 79 Things We Can All Agree On list saying, “Ezra Klein gives economics columnists a good name.”