TL/DR –
The article discusses the impact of neoliberal market reforms on bureaucracy and wealth creation, highlighting the need for democratic reform to address inequalities. It critiques the perspectives of journalists Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson who suggest that overregulation and bureaucracy have stifled economic growth. The author proposes that the left needs to understand this transformation and actively work towards a democratic reform of institutions to address socioeconomic issues, using the Mayor of New York’s creation of a Mayor’s Office of Mass Engagement as an example of democratic institutional innovation.
A Fresh Look at Bureaucracy, Economic Logic, and the Pursuit of Abundance
The concept of abundance has recently gained traction in political circles, but its actual definition and the economic practices that should be used to attain it still remain up for debate. The question of what exactly we want abundance of, and what economic logic should be used to produce such abundance, is still a contentious issue.
Politics, according to an article published on 22nd January 2026, has played a significant role in shaping people’s view on bureaucracy and economic abundance. The article reveals an interesting shift in perspective over the past 40 years, where bureaucracy is no longer seen as the ‘big bad wolf’ hindering economic growth and prosperity but as a tool to deepen democracy.
2025 witnessed significant anti-bureaucratic mobilization across the political spectrum. The example mentioned is Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which aimed at rampaging through the US public sector, but encountered hurdles. The book Abundance: How We Build a Better Future echoed similar anti-bureaucratic sentiments and emphasized the need to eradicate overregulation to boost economic activity.
However, the book also highlights the issue of vested interests and incumbents hijacking the systems meant for grassroots participation. This demonstrates a core issue with bureaucracy and alludes to the need for a different approach to achieve economic abundance.
Since the 1970s, neoliberal theorists have been championing anti-bureaucratic sentiments and advocating for practices that align more with accountancy than democratic accountability. This has resulted in a competitive marketplace where selfish behavior is rewarded, and any deviation is penalized heavily. Internalizing this institutional logic has resulted in shaping our understanding of human possibility.
English sociologist Will Davies argues that neoliberalism sought to distinguish between ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ and ensure that the contest was perceived as fair. This gave rise to the “Third Way” center-left which aligned neoliberalism with aspects of the feminist, antiracist, and gay liberation movements that catered to consumerism and competitive labor markets.
The failure of neoliberalism’s normative ethic has led to two distinct political responses. One calls for replacing the impersonal adjudication of bureaucracy and law with open corruption, personal enrichment, and displays of the impunity of power, while the other calls for sidestepping questions of fairness and wealth distribution by betting on growth.
However, the authors argue that in a world grappling with accelerating ecological deterioration and an economy that funnels wealth to the top, the means of achieving abundance cannot be ignored. They caution against adopting normative neoliberalism and call for a pro-democracy politics that prioritizes democratic capacities and sensibilities.
The article concludes by emphasizing the need for institutions that allow popular deliberation over what we need and unleashing popular protagonism. The abundance we build, it argues, must be radical in both form and content.
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