This is the second of two essays on Abundance, a book by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. The author, Wes Melville, is an advisor to Civic Way. Wes has over 20 years of management consulting and executive coaching experience including with Booz Allen and his own firm. Wes has an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina.
America has the ability to invent. China has the ability to build. The first country that can figure out how to do both will be the superpower. – John Arnold, investor and philanthropist
Introduction
After every presidential election a wave of political autopsy books enraptures the political pundits. The books’ theories are hyped as oracles that explain one political party’s demise and another’s ascendance. The shelf life for this well-worn genre is brief. Very rarely does their relevance survive the next midterms.
The book Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson may be an exception. Its ideas have gained traction with many national Democratic politicians—like Wes Moore, Jared Polis, Cory Booker and Gavin Newsom. It would not be surprising if the ‘Abundance agenda’ informs Democratic messaging through the next election cycle (hopefully, as inspiration for governing, not just fodder for campaigning).
What’s most compelling about the “Abundance agenda” is not what it can do for Democrats in elections, but in government. It is vital that Democrats, a political party that believes in government, govern effectively and efficiently (i.e., put results over process). Delivering the services that people need can help reshape American politics and, in turn, restore public faith in democracy.
A Path Forward
Despite its overt criticism, Abundance is a book steeped in optimism. Abundance offers an impressive framework for developing that agenda.
Klein and Thompson contend that Democrats have an opportunity to replace their scarcity mindset with something they call “supply-side liberalism.” That is, instead of fixating on how to distribute what people have, Democrats should focus on how to build and deliver what people need, that is, more supply to ensure better outcomes. The implications for governance—and politics—are profound.
At the federal level, the authors tout the success of Operation Warp Speed. showed how the federal government can lead, partner with the private sector and meet the moment in times of crisis. What might have taken years due to procedural hurdles, took mere months. More importantly, it has been estimated that through November 2022, COVID-19 vaccines prevented over 18.5 million hospitalizations and 3.2 million deaths[i]. Regrettably, Operation Warp Speed has become the target of MAGA scorn.
Blue State Successes
The authors offer some examples that reveal how states and cities can focus on supply and improve a government’s ability to deliver vital constituent services.
In 2023, when a tanker truck flipped and burned down the I-95 bridge in Philadelphia, Governor Josh Shapiro and experts estimated it would take months to rebuild. If you played by the rules, that is. Shapiro declared an emergency and was thus better able to navigate normal procedures, such as state procurement rules, federal design approvals, and environmental impact statements.
Such rules make sense in theory but can be inflexible in practice. For instance, competitive bidding procedures help minimize costs and cronyism. But under Shapiro’s emergency declaration, such rules became choices. The state took calculated risks to get the job done as fast as it could. Construction proceeded 24 hours per day, seven days a week using all union labor. The state finished the job in twelve days instead of months, a virtual impossibility without the Governor’s emergency declaration.
More recently, in California, Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation that would limit the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as a NIMBY tool. CEQA has been used for decades to stop housing and infrastructure development projects[ii]. In San Francisco, the City Attorney launched an initiative with a Stanford AI research team to review the city’s ordinances and identify all agency reporting mandates. The hope is to streamline (or remove) the most onerous and outmoded reporting requirements.
A vital but oft-overlooked element of good government is citizen engagement. New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has not yet been elected mayor, but his campaign style offers a potential template for governance. His ability to engage voters directly and listen to their needs proved effective in the primary. And his voter listening sessions informed his platform and messaging. The Abundance agenda, after all, is all about delivering more of what citizens need.
North Carolina’s Abundance Lab
The Abundance authors cited factors that could make North Carolina a promising testing ground for the Abundance agenda. It has world class research institutions. It is one of the top state performers in terms of construction productivity[iii]. It has a lower cost of living than many blue states. And, while North Carolina has not been immune to the polarization infecting the rest of the nation, it has long enjoyed a reputation for good, even bipartisan, state and local government.
Under Governor Stein, elected last November, North Carolina could be fertile ground for testing the Abundance theory. Governor Stein (and the NCGA) has an opportunity to assess the potential benefits of the Abundance agenda. The stark contrast between responsive government and reckless GOP federal policies could help restore public faith in government and democracy.
Under Governor Stein’s leadership, there has already been some encouraging efforts to improve the delivery of government services to citizens—more specifically, the reform initiative at the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The DMV has been justifiably criticized for poor customer services. The administration, with bipartisan support, is focused on reducing customer wait times, addressing staffing shortages, and improving online functionality.
What the Stein administration has done already shows how effective it can be for the government to attack supply and process bottlenecks. The DMV Commissioner visited with staff and customers in DMV offices across the state to hear their complaints and understand the biggest service challenges. That kind of outreach helps identify the major pain points and builds trust and accountability. Governor Stein has approved or proposed several measures for improving DMV services, including:
A two-year moratorium on the expiration of driver licenses.
More staffing (over 60 new Driver License Examiners and 24 more DMV office staff positions).
Pay raises for examiners and other workforce development incentives.
Expanded Saturday hours and new equipment, including scanners, for DMV service offices.
Website improvements, including a tool to help customers determine Real ID needs[iv].
As one of the state’s largest customer-facing agencies, the DMV is a great place for Governor Stein and his administration to deliver high impact solutions to citizens. It has become a source of frustration for everyone who drives a vehicle. An aggressive approach to fixing the DMV’s rampant customer service issues is an ideal way for Stein to show North Carolinians how government can work for people. And he can build trust and goodwill in the process.
If state government officials can fix the DMV, what else might they fix? What works for DMV reform—listening to users, identifying bottlenecks, streamlining processes and improving resources—could be applied to other issues that most impact citizens. Tax filing processes. Licensing and certification processes. Permitting systems. Post-Helene recovery and mitigation. Road and bridge improvements.
Federal budget cuts and some NCGA actions could impede reforms. However, the Abundance approach calls for operational and process reforms that can often be implemented through the kind of actions Governor Stein is taking at DMV. Much is possible. Simplified tax forms. Smarter licensing and certification systems. Streamlined permitting to accelerate housing projects, public infrastructure development and post-Helene recovery efforts. On time, on budget capital projects.
Closing Thoughts
There have been few times in American history when cost-effective government was needed more than right now. North Carolina, with its divided government, has a generational opportunity to show the nation how responsive bipartisan government can improve the lives of its citizens.
It won’t be easy, but what the Stein administration achieves during this term (and how well they connect with citizens) could very well serve as a model for how future Democrats govern in North Carolina and beyond.