In this engaging discussion, economics writer Derek Thompson, known for his work at The Atlantic and his book 'Abundance,' joins Andrew Yang. They tackle the root causes of America's woes, arguing they are self-inflicted rather than inevitable. Thompson shares insights on shifting from scarcity to abundance, emphasizing the need for innovative policies in housing and economic mobility. They explore the role of the Democratic Party in driving change and advocate for a proactive approach to political reform and community revitalization.
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Katalin Kariko's mRNA Journey
Katalin Kariko, an immigrant scientist, tirelessly researched mRNA technology despite constant setbacks.
Her work, initially ignored, formed the foundation of life-saving mRNA vaccines.
insights INSIGHT
NIH's Bureaucratic Burden
The NIH, while crucial for biomedical breakthroughs, suffers from bureaucratic inefficiencies, hindering scientific progress.
Scientists waste 40% of their time on grant paperwork, a self-inflicted "disease of bureaucratic kludge."
insights INSIGHT
From Growth Machine to Anti-Growth Machine
American politics shifted from a growth-focused New Deal era to a neoliberal, anti-growth era marked by regulations like zoning.
This shift created an "anti-growth machine," hindering progress in areas like housing and clean energy.
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This book delves into the reasons behind America's current inability to address significant challenges such as housing shortages, climate crises, and infrastructure issues. Dunkelman argues that a 'vetocracy' allows nearly anyone to stifle progress and that progressive reforms have inadvertently contributed to this gridlock. He suggests that progressivism must rediscover its roots to break through the current paralysis and restore faith in public institutions.
Abundance
The Future Is Better Than You Think
Peter H. Diamandis
Steven Kotler
In this book, Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler present a contrarian view that the future is brighter than commonly perceived. They document how exponential technologies, DIY innovators, technophilanthropists, and the rising billion (the world's poor empowered by modern communication technology) are conspiring to solve global problems such as access to clean water, food, energy, healthcare, education, and freedom. The authors provide examples and strategic roadmaps for governments, industries, and entrepreneurs to address these challenges, offering a optimistic outlook on the potential for technological innovation to improve human living standards[2][4][5].
Why does everything feel so expensive, slow, and impossible to fix? In this thought-provoking conversation, Andrew and Derek Thompson dive into Abundance, a groundbreaking new book with a bold vision for rebuilding prosperity. Thompson exposes how America’s biggest problems—housing crises, stalled innovation, and broken institutions—are self-inflicted. They reveal how we got here, and who’s really to blame (hint: it's not who you think), and, most importantly, how we can break free from the politics of scarcity to build a future of abundance in America.
Andrew Yang Podcast 
