An Abundance of Everyday Necessities

ABSTRACT ‘Abundance’ is a seductive term, but what does it mean as a political vision or goal? Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson suggest it is mainly about growth, achieved through more effective government and technological innovation. This paper argues instead for abundance meaning sufficiency: Enough for everyone to have what they need to survive and flourish—now and in future. Drawing on the case for universal basic services (UBS), this interpretation of abundance promotes universal access to everyday necessities with planetary boundaries. It puts social justice and environmental sustainability at the heart of the policy agenda, supporting reproduction and care, redistributing the means to live well, and changing patterns of consumption to eliminate deprivation and excess. Far from threadbare welfarism, this is ‘public luxury’, the engine of a thriving political economy.