Plain English

Derek Thompson argues that an abundant future depends on building more housing, clean energy, infrastructure, and new technologies, and on reforming the institutions that slow them down. He describes how layers of bureaucracy and legal challenges can make well-intentioned policies lose sight of their goals, using rural broadband and California high-speed rail as examples. He calls for renewed science policy, including experiments with longer-term and higher-risk research funding, and discusses how public funding can spur private innovation. He encourages founders and engineers to follow their curiosity toward difficult problems that could reduce pain and increase people’s agency.