LIVE FROM DC: Abundance and Social Democracy: Enemies or Allies?

10 snips

Feb 10, 2026

Guest

Sandeep Vaheesan

Sandeep Vaheesan, antitrust legal director focused on corporate power. Mike Konczal, policy lead on inequality and industrial strategy. Jerusalem Demsas, housing and affordability reporter. Baillee Brown, pro-building policy advocate. They debate how to scale housing, clean energy, and public goods while preserving democratic power. Conversation touches on permitting, market control, zoning, NEPA, and political tradeoffs.

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ANECDOTE

How Housing Became A National Flashpoint

Jerusalem Demsas recounts how housing became salient in 2020 as prices surged and inland cities strained.
She describes YIMBYism scaling from coastal debates into widespread policymaker interest.

INSIGHT

Abundance Tied To Geopolitics And Industrial Policy

Abundance gained traction after political shocks and material shortfalls like housing, climate, and supply-chain concerns.
Mike Konczal links it to industrial policy, reshoring, and desire for faster execution post-2017 China consolidation.

INSIGHT

Replicating The New Deal's Mixed Approach

Historical New Deal models combined large public investment with rules that disciplined capital and encouraged long-term R&D.
Sandeep Vaheesan argues modern policy should replicate that mix of public ownership and regulation to deliver abundance.

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Can we build an economy that delivers abundance without abandoning democratic accountability and economic equity?

Recorded live at Democracy Journal’s “Can’t We All Just Get Along?” conference, this episode features a wide-ranging panel discussion on one of the most consequential debates shaping today’s political economy: whether abundance and social democracy are in tension—or whether they’re mutually reinforcing.

Moderated by Ed Luce of the Financial Times, the panel brings together Baillee Brown (Inclusive Abundance), Jerusalem Demsas (The Argument), Mike Konczal (Economic Security Project), and Sandeep Vaheesan (Open Markets Institute) to wrestle with what it actually takes to deliver housing, clean energy, and public goods at scale—without ceding power to concentrated markets or hollowing out democratic governance.

At a moment of deep political discontent and institutional distrust, this conversation helps clarify the real choices facing policymakers—and why getting this balance right is essential to rebuilding public faith in government.

Ed Luce (moderator) is the U.S. national editor and a columnist at the Financial Times, where he writes on American politics, democracy, and global political economy.

Baillee Brown (panelist) is a policy advocate and the founder of Inclusive Abundance, where she works with lawmakers to advance a pro-building, outcomes-focused approach to delivering housing, clean energy, and public goods.

Jerusalem Demsas (panelist) is founder and Editor in Chief of The Argument a publication and podcast covering housing, economic policy, and the politics of affordability.

Mike Konczal (panelist) is the Senior Director of Policy and Research at the Economic Security Project, where he focuses on inequality, housing, industrial policy, and the political economy of growth.

Sandeep Vaheesan (panelist) is the legal director at the Open Markets Institute and a leading voice on antitrust, corporate power, and the role of public authority in building a more equitable economy.

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