Abundance is Not the Opposite of Scarcity
The Practice of Community
Abundance(1) is the proverbial “talk of the town” these days. It is proposed by some as a new theme for the Democratic Party or, more broadly, as a rallying call that could reconnect liberal elites with working people. For many, it implies de-regulation of housing production or, depending on who you read, de-regulation of almost everything. Those who like the idea of Abundance tend to say, “We’ve forgotten how to build.” Or “Just build it!”
The focus on Abundance is, at least for some, a reaction to the claim that capitalism creates scarcity where there is none. Which is true. I recently witnessed flight attendants making sure that exit row seats that used to be open to anyone if they weren’t filled when the doors closed stayed empty throughout the flight because, “You have to pay.”(2)
Abundance and scarcity are words that turn our minds toward the material plane, toward tangible things that are easy to count, though how we’re supposed to count isn’t always clear. People who, as far as I can tell, align with Abundance may also say, “Don’t build that! We don’t need another lane on this freeway.” And that’s true, too. Induced demand is reality on the roads and everywhere else. As John Kenneth Galbraith pointed out many years ago, why advertise if you can’t stimulate demand?
2 Sides, 1 Coin
Abundance and scarcity are the inseparable sides of a coin. They’re about what we have or don’t have. They’re also both determined from a particular perspective. My airplane example shows how scarcity can be created in contexts where capitalists control access. More often, though, capitalists are boosters. They try to define abundance and lure consumers to join in.
However presented, my abundance can be your scarcity. If I am a YIMBY, my abundance is more housing of more types in more places. If I’m a NIMBY, my abundance is quiet streets and plenty of open space. If I want abundant clean energy, I support new transmission lines. But what scarcities will those powerlines inflict on the landscapes and communities through which they run?
Unfortunate Isms
Before I go on, I want to step back from the focus on capitalism that I see in many writings about Abundance. Capitalism is an expression of dynamics that began long before it took its present form. The organization of economies has always co-evolved with religious thought and practices that create or reinforce perceptions of abundance and scarcity. And isn’t Marxism also about what we (as a class, in this case) have or don’t have?
Abundance as a reaction to scarcity is reductionism. Those who say “Just build it!” or “Cut the green tape.” are simplifying complex realities. As noted in my last newsletter, our regional planning commission has assigned my town a target of 4,212 new dwelling units. That’s a precise definition of abundance. But it conceals more than it reveals.
What is required to build 4,212 new dwellings? It happens that the land base exists for those new units. It even happens that the zoning capacity exists. I know that’s a shock to some readers, but its true. Zoning reform is helpful, but focusing on regulation will lead you to believe that NIMBYs dominate everywhere. It may also make you think that there are easy solutions. And that is not true.
· What if the town needs $100 million in infrastructure to hit its target? Will creating an abundance of housing impose scarcity on every existing taxpayer?
· What if the stormwater from the new housing will impact a sensitive watershed? There is no need for an “abundance” of nutrients in the lake below.
· What if no one is willing to invest in building those homes because interest rates and construction costs are so high?
· What if there is no help to build? The unemployment rate in our county is 2.3%. Is that abundance? Is it scarcity? There is no readily available workforce no matter how you see it.
It would take 10 minutes to drive from here to a place where approved (the developer can pull permits, there is infrastructure) housing in a walkable neighborhood with a great Italian restaurant is not under construction because of the cost and labor factors. You cannot invoke Abundance without accounting for scarcity.
A Better Story
Our perceptions of abundance and scarcity are rooted in the story in which we live, the story we were told when young, and that we tell ourselves as we go on. Most peoples’ current story is both capitalist and Marxist, a divisive and isolating tale of competition for power. It is a hard narrative to change, but it will never take us out of the endless loop of gain and loss.
The story that can do that is the story of community. Community (not Abundance) is the operative opposite of scarcity. Community is our complex, always evolving support system, a web of deeply entangled reciprocities that will, if we let it, house all, humans and our wild relatives.
This is a good place to stop. Tell me what you think. More later.
(1) Capital A for the movement, no capital for the phenomenon.
(2) Doing that to the couple squeezed into Aisle 32 with toddlers is unconscionable no matter how much you need a job.
I had thought the point of the Abundance movement was that some things, such as housing and green energy, are important enough that we want to assure their abundance despite some competing scarcities. If nimbys are stopping the production of housing, that's something politicians can solve. If labor markets are stopping it, then we can either raise wages or admit more immigrants. I hate to disagree with you -- I love community -- but Abundance does strike me as politically useful.
I love the reality that community is the operational opposite of scarcity. We live in a society in which there is no logical reason, other than barriers to community, that every human being should have access to food, shelter, clothing, meaningful work, a sustainable salary, and access to health and education. We are an overly abundant society and yet because of the barriers that exist to community, we have people going without. It makes no sense, even with the complexity that exists around making sure everyone has their basic needs addressed.