Conference Delves into Law and the Abundance Movement

The Law of Abundance Conference brought scholars to the Yale campus on Jan. 23 and Jan. 24 to discuss new legal scholarship and opportunities on abundance and state capacity. 

The conference, hosted by the Tobin Center for Economic Policy at Yale University and the Niskanen Center, was organized by University of Michigan Law School Professor Nick Bagley and Professor Zachary Liscow ’15. Bagley is an expert on the procedural hurdles that administrative law imposes on government effectiveness, and Liscow is a leader in understanding how the legal landscape makes it challenging for the U.S. to build infrastructure.

Liscow was pleased with the event’s turnout, noting its significance for the budding State Capacity Movement.

“The energy in the room was palpable,” said Liscow. “We filled the Law School's largest classroom to tackle a challenge that is often overlooked but deeply consequential: the mechanics of how government delivers — from green energy and infrastructure to affordable housing.”

Scholars across the legal field have been calling for reforms relating to state capacity and abundance, and this conference provided a timely opportunity for these experts to discuss how the government can more effectively meet the needs of its people. 

“The abundance movement has clearly struck a chord, and now we are combining high-level frameworks with concrete analysis of how law works on the ground to chart a path forward,” said Liscow.

Yale faculty led several discussions on Friday as part of the event. David Schleicher, the Walter E. Meyer Professor of Property and Urban Law at the Law School, facilitated a talk on “How Sociotropic Aesthetic Judgments Drive Opposition to Dense Housing Development” with Yale Professor of Political Science Josh Kalla and others, and Josh Macey ’17, Professor of Law at the Law School, took part in a discussion on “Institutional Design for Electricity Abundance.” 

Bagley and Liscow also led discussions, including “What's Next for the Abundance Movement: A Conversation with Jerusalem Demsas & Matt Yglesias” and “Teaching Abundance” with Clinical Professor of Law Anika Singh Lemar. 

The conference was made possible with support from the Hewlett Foundation, the Tobin Center, and Yale Law School.