Law of Abundance Conference
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 government’s ability to achieve collective goals.
On January 23rd and 24th, 2026, many of these scholars gathered at Yale University to discuss new legal scholarship on abundance and state capacity, while also exploring new opportunities to study unanswered questions.
The conference was organized by Nick Bagley (Michigan) and Zachary Liscow (Yale).
Location
Yale Law School, Sterling Law Building (SLB)
127 Wall Street, New Haven, Connecticut
Conference Hosts
The conference is 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.
Agenda
Please note that the agenda is subject to revision.
Each paper session will include a presentation by the author(s), followed by comments from a discussant. Presenters will assume conference attendees have read the papers in advance of each session.
Day 1: Friday, January 23
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 7:45–8:45 | Breakfast |
| 8:45–9:00 |
Introductory Remarks |
| 9:00–9:50 | Evaluation as Due Process: Civil Service in an Automated Age (PDF) Daniel E. Ho (Stanford), Olivia Martin (Stanford), Amy Perez (RegLab), & Kit Rodolfa (RegLab) Discussant: Jen Pahlka (Niskanen/Recoding America Fund) |
| 9:50–10:40 | The Transaction Explosion and the Cost of Judgment (PDF) Daniel Wilf‑Townsend (Georgetown) Discussant: Diego Zambrano (Stanford) |
| 10:40–10:55 | Break |
| 10:55–11:45 | Democratic Abundance: An Abundance that Works for Workers (PDF) Kate Andrias (Columbia) & Alex Hertel‑Fernandez (Columbia) Discussant: Steve Teles (Johns Hopkins) |
| 11:45–12:35 | State Capacity for Abundance: Activating States and Expanding Research for Actionable Policy Panelists: Jen Pahlka (Recoding America Fund), Robert Gordon (Recoding America Fund), & Ted Gayer (Niskanen Center) Moderator: David Wilkinson (Tobin Center) |
| 12:35–1:35 | Lunch |
| 1:35–2:25 | How Sociotropic Aesthetic Judgments Drive Opposition to Dense Housing Development (PDF) Chris Elmendorf (UC Davis), David Broockman (UC Berkeley), & Josh Kalla (Yale) Discussant: David Schleicher (Yale) |
| 2:25–3:25 | What's Next for the Abundance Movement: A Conversation with Jerusalem Demsas & Matt Yglesias Panelists: Jerusalem Demsas (The Argument) & Matt Yglesias (Slow Boring) Moderators: Nick Bagley (Michigan) & Zach Liscow (Yale) |
| 3:25–3:50 | Break |
| 3:50–4:40 | Institutional Design for Electricity Abundance (PDF) Lynne Kiesling (Northwestern) & Josh Macey (Yale) Discussant: Alex Klass (Michigan) |
| 4:40–5:05 | Student Presentation: Unlocking Other Transactions (PDF) Mark Thomas (Harvard) |
Day 2: Saturday, January 24
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 7:45–8:45 |
Breakfast |
| 8:45–9:35 |
Keynote Remarks |
| 9:35–10:25 | A Capacity Agenda for State Departments of Education (PDF) Julia Kaufman (RAND) & Kunjan Narechania (Watershed Advisors) Discussant: Sarah Esty (SEE Solutions) |
| 10:25–10:50 | Break |
| 10:50–11:40 | State Capacity and the High Cost of Transit Projects (PDF) Eric Goldwyn (NYU) Discussant: Samantha Silverberg (Harvard) |
| 11:40–11:50 | Remarks by Abundance Student Groups |
| 11:50–12:30 | Teaching Abundance Nick Bagley (Michigan), Anika Singh Lemar (Yale), & Zach Liscow (Yale) |
| 12:30–1:30 | Lunch and Conference Close |
Attendees
See a list of conference participants here.
Optional Reading
If you have time, consider reading these papers recommended by some of our conference participants.
- Benchmarking Legal RAG: The Promise and Limits of AI Statutory Surveys. Authors: Mohamed Afane, Emaan Hariri, Daniel E. Ho, and Derek Ouyang
- Evaluating Generative AI in Benefits Administration: A Demonstration Project. Authors: Varun Magesh, Olivia H. Martin, Faiz Surani, Amy Perez, Kit Rodolfa, and Daniel E. Ho
- The Symbolic Politics of Housing. Authors: David E. Broockman, Christopher S. Elmendorg, and Joshua L. Kalla