The New York Times columnist and podcast host Ezra Klein reflects on “liberal governance that routinely fails to achieve liberal outcomes” in a talk informed by a book he is currently co-writing that explores the difficulties Democratic governments encounter when working to build real things in the real world. Focusing on what Klein defines as California's deepest problems—skyrocketing housing costs, lagging developments in clean energy, constant traffic—he asks, how did we get here? And what can we do about it? As an award-winning journalist, Klein combines traditional opinion writing with reporting to bring clarity to policy debates often mired in complexity.
Co-presented by Cal Performances and UC Berkeley Graduate Lectures as part of the Jefferson Memorial Lecture Series.