Sept. 2, 2025
The abundance trend in economics-focused media calls for fewer restrictions on housing construction and an expansion of public services and scientific research. Many proponents present abundance as the key to creating broadly shared prosperity but define the concept too narrowly, Upjohn Institute Senior Economist Tim Bartik argues in an essay for the Brookings Metro program.
Bartik’s research has shown that targeted investment in distressed places boosts employment rates more effectively than investment in thriving places. By not focusing on distressed places, Bartik writes, the abundance movement ignores some of the country’s toughest challenges.
“The movement should be broadened to get more people in distressed places into good jobs, which should be a key part of any strategy labeled ‘abundance,’” he writes.