Ezra Klein on Nov 4, 2025 | UCSB Arts & Lectures

“One of the country’s keenest political observers.” Foreign Affairs

“We have a startling abundance of the goods that fill a house and a shortage of what’s needed to build a good life.” – Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, Abundance

Ezra Klein, New York Times columnist, podcast host and policy analyst, offers a bold new vision for American progress drawn from his book Abundance. For too long, he argues, public discourse has focused on limits – what we can’t do, build or afford. But the real crisis isn’t scarcity, it’s our failure to act. In this timely talk, Klein calls for a mindset shift toward possibility. He explores how regulations, institutions and cultural caution have stalled progress, and how embracing abundance can help us tackle housing, climate, infrastructure and more by building smarter, faster and for the public good.