Ideas are still big but books got small
The article discusses the economic divergence between the United States and Europe over the past two decades, highlighting the impact of social safety net expansions in the U.S. It emphasizes the importance of addressing housing constraints that limit economic growth in areas like California. The author also reflects on the evolution of influential ideas and books, comparing contemporary works to those of the past.
- ▪There has been significant economic divergence between the U.S. and Europe in the last 20 years.
- ▪The expansion of the social safety net in the U.S. under Barack Obama has shown that providing medical care to the poor can coexist with economic growth.
- ▪Housing constraints in high-growth areas like California are limiting broader economic benefits and should be addressed.
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Ideas are still big but books got smallPlus Cameron Boozer, the Colin Powell campaign that didn’t happen, and why I’m out on Vienna Matthew YglesiasMay 22, 2026ShareColin Powell at a presidential rally. (Photo by Joseph Sohm)I think American progressives are getting weirdly over-invested in denying that there’s been economic divergence between the United States and Europe over the past 20 years. I get that Americans like “Europe” — meaning universal health care and mass transit — as a social model, but it’s not like European countries created universal health-care systems and subways during the relevant period of analysis.Instead, the divergence happened during a time when the center-right has been mostly dominating European politics and when the United States had a significant expansion…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Slow Boring (Yglesias).
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