The idea started in California, and the term was borrowed from the tech world. "Abundance" has become the mantra of the new American left: build more, produce more, develop, move faster. Abundance is the opposite of degrowth.

The word entered public debate in mid-March with the publication of the book Abundance by two journalists: Ezra Klein, a California native, New York Times columnist and popular podcaster, and Derek Thompson, who spent 17 years as a journalist at The Atlantic, essayist and podcast host.

Their credo is to place not a demand – such as equality, justice or prosperity – at the heart of politics, but a vision: a future in which housing, energy, transportation and healthcare are available in abundance. It is up to elected officials to propose how to achieve it. The key question, Klein explained in a conversation with California Governor Gavin Newsom after the book's release, is: "How do we create more? How do we make it possible to build more of the things people need?"

With the Democratic Party going through a period of malaise, the theme of abundance arrived at the perfect time. The book has become a bestseller and a blessing for elected officials searching for a positive message. "The left is often defined by barriers, by limits," said a Democratic activist in San Francisco. "Here, it's about saying 'yes.'"

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