Are we meant to take his idea of a billion Americans seriously but not literally? His ideas can support a much higher population even if it’s not a billion, but he struggles to establish when it’s time to think pragmatically and when to just think bigger. Yglesias waffles between arguments he believes are pragmatic and those that are encouraging “thinking bigger.” Both of these have value, but he switches between them at random times, operating seemingly at whatever level is the path of least resistance.
For those in opposition, the book is unlikely to convert. But for those already in agreement with Yglesias, it’s difficult to find much fundamentally new in his arguments or framing. And the advantages of population growth themselves should be given more attention. One Billion Americans has a lot of excellent policy ideas: increasing the American population through Yglesias’s prescriptive policies would be beneficial and morally just. Through pro-natalist policies and increased immigration, the United States has the physical space and capability to accommodate this massive population increase. The only way to compete with countries like China to maintain our role as the hub of global innovation is to get to a billion Americans. According to Matt Yglesias’s latest book One Billion Americans, a lot more. In order to restore American greatness, we need more people. Billed Into Silence: Money and the Miseducation of Women.
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