Instead, Yglesias might persuade his readers of the greatness of the American project, the importance of the United States continuing to be the leading country in the world, and the fact that it is currently under threat from a growing China.

I don’t mean persuade anyone that the United States should have more immigration or invest more in children, my guess is most of his readers already thought that. Matthew Yglesias’s brilliant book could be an exception that genuinely change some minds.

Most polemics don’t persuade anyone of anything, they just provide comfort and occasionally a new argument for those who already believe. Making the case for massive population growth with analytic rigor and imagination, One Billion Americans issues a radical but undeniable challenge: Why not do it all, and stay on top forever? Drawing on examples and solutions from around the world, Yglesias shows not only that we can do this, but why we must. What really contributes to national prosperity should not be controversial: supporting parents and children, welcoming immigrants and their contributions, and exploring creative policies that support growth-like more housing, better transportation, improved education, revitalized welfare, and climate change mitigation. Vox founder Yglesias invites us to think bigger, while taking the problems of decline seriously. The winner in the future world is going to have more-more ideas, more ambition, more utilization of resources, more people.Įxactly how many Americans do we need to win? According to Matthew Yglesias, one billion.įrom one of our foremost policy writers, One Billion Americans is the provocative yet logical argument that if we aren't moving forward, we're losing. We can't compete with the huge population clusters of the global marketplace by keeping our population static or letting it diminish, or with our crumbling transit and unaffordable housing. If the most challenging crisis in living memory has shown us anything, it's that America has lost the will and the means to lead. What would actually make America great: more people.

Matthew yglesias book