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LA’s governance arrangements for addressing homelessness continue to evolve – with continuing fluidity as to how the various parts align with each other. Against that backdrop, the University of Southern California’s Price School Professor of Public Policy Shui Yan Tang and I have been invited to make a presentation at the June 18th meeting of […]
What will it take for business to wake up to the reality that the times no longer call for business as usual – and act before the house burns to the point that its institutional foundations are destroyed? This question is taking on increasing urgency as, day after day, the drumbeat of words and actions […]
How can we break the spell of a toxic downward spiral? In a piece recently published in Persuasion, I draw out “Lessons in Combating Polarization”by reflecting on the USA’s current crisis through the lens of South Africa’s successful reversal of two polarization-driven downward spirals. This companion blog post has two purposes. First, it situates the Persuasion […]
In a recent podcast, a year after Abundance’s publication, Ezra Klein, Derek Thompson and Marc Dunkelman took stock of where things stand. They largely agree that their core vision – “the promise not just of more, but more of what matters” – has gained traction. And they remain ‘all in’ (as do I….) on their […]
A month ago, as part of a series of short pieces on Abundance, I signaled that I was working on an article that considered Los Angeles’ homelessness challenge through an Abundance lens; the article has now been published in American Purpose. This short, orienting post explains why I have been engaging with the Abundance debate, […]
(Part of a series) What will it take to break the downward spiral of polarization in which we seem trapped? In their best-selling book, Abundance, Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson offer their answer, wielding ideas as their weapon of choice. For ideas to be truly transformative, they need to do more than persuade intellectually, […]
(Part of a series) What will it take to break the downward spiral of polarization in which we seem trapped? In their best-selling book, Abundance, Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson offer their answer, wielding ideas as their weapon of choice. For ideas to be truly transformative, they need to do more than persuade intellectually, […]
(part of a series) Increasingly, we seem trapped in an accelerating downward spiral of polarization, with no way out. What will it take to break the spell? In their best-selling book, Abundance, Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson seek to answer the question by leading with ideas. They lay out a compelling positive vision, accompanied by […]
(Abundance series #3) Ideas can help break an accelerating downward spiral of polarization by offering inspiration – but to be credible, a positive vision also needs to be accompanied by a practical agenda for action. Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson’s best-selling book, Abundance offers a compelling positive vision along with a sharp wake-up call for […]
In 2023, I began a program of research on some innovative governance arrangements for addressing homelessness that LA’s political, civic, bureaucratic and private sector leaders put in place as part of a determined effort to finally come to grips with a long-festering crisis (see here and here). In 2024 and 2025, the tide of Los […]
