An emerging movement known as “the Abundance Agenda” or “the State Capacity Movement” is drawing attention to how lackluster government performance underwrites a host of problems in the United States, ranging from crumbling infrastructure to inadequate housing to rampant tax evasion.
The law can contribute to government dysfunction in myriad ways, including through a procedurally hidebound administrative law, an overzealous judiciary, hyperactive participation norms, antiquated civil service rules, and cumbersome procurement processes.
Legal scholars in disparate fields have called for reforms that enable rather than frustrate the government’s ability to achieve collective goals.
This collection of articles and essays came out of a conference in January 2026 at Yale University, organized by Nick Bagley (Michigan) and Zachary Liscow (Yale) and hosted by the Tobin Center for Economic Policy at Yale University and the Niskanen Center, with support from the Hewlett Foundation and Yale Law School.
The Niskanen Center is excited to make the links to full articles available here:
