#790
Mentioned in 44 episodes

Why Nothing Works

Who Killed Progress—and How to Bring It Back
Book • 2025
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.

Mentioned by

Mentioned in 44 episodes

Mentioned by
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Stewart Butterfield
as a book explaining the increasing difficulty in achieving progress due to the growing number of vetoes in decision-making.
3,003 snips
Slack founder: Mental models for building products people love ft. Stewart Butterfield
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Derek Thompson
while discussing the strengthening and weakening of social bonds.
554 snips
No, There Isn’t a Loneliness Epidemic (And That May Be an Even Bigger Problem)
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Ezra Klein
alongside Yoni Applebaum's "Stuck" as books reflecting a current moment of societal apprehension.
348 snips
Why We Can’t Have Nice Things with Ezra Klein
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Ezra Klein
as a book about the difficulties of government projects.
313 snips
ABUNDANCE! With Ezra Klein
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Matt Mahan
alongside other recent works examining why public institutions have become ineffective at delivering outcomes.
219 snips
#464 — The Politics of Pragmatism and the Future of California
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Jon Lovett
as a story about what happened to progressive governance.
180 snips
Why Are Democrats Afraid of Power?
Recommended by
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Noah Smith
as a history of anti-growth sentiment in blue states.
147 snips
The 2nd China Shock: Why Chinese Companies Are Making Zero Profit
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Jon Lovett
as a book he read.
130 snips
Empire State of Mind
Mentioned by Marc Dunkelman to explain the numerous barriers that make it hard to fix Penn Station.
95 snips
Three Experts on Trump’s Foreign Policy
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Sean Illing
as the book written by the guest, Mark Dunkelman.
85 snips
How we built a government that can’t build anything

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