Possibility Lab Announces Abundance Policy Research Consortium, Releases New Scoping Papers Focused on Housing and Energy

The Lab also released two new scoping papers related to meaningfully engaging community members in order to build more of what we need, as part of the ongoing Abundance Accelerator initiative. “Approaches to Balancing Meaningful Community Engagement with Increased Housing Production in California” explores the tradeoffs between the importance of community input and the urgent need for increased housing production.

“Community Engagement for the Siting and Permitting of Renewable Energy Infrastructure in California” examines the tensions between the pressing need for clean energy and the role of public input and processes in the development process. Together, both papers provide insights, context, and foundational understandings for two of the Abundance Accelerator’s essential focus areas: housing and clean energy.

While California is home to great economic abundance, far too many in the state still struggle with economic insecurity and a lack of access to basic goods and services. To explore solutions, the Possibility Lab joined with a growing network of partners to launch the Abundance Accelerator, which is leveraging research, innovation, and collaboration to promote abundance in the state and the nation.

“California is taking the lead in establishing an Abundance Agenda that creates more of the essentials people need to live full, thriving lives,” said Possibility Lab Executive Director Professor Amy E. Lerman. “Many of the seemingly intractable issues we face in California today are currently framed in terms of scarcity. Scarcity, however, is not necessarily inherent to these issues, but is often a function of how our policies and politics fail to produce sufficient resources. By reimagining our systems and institutions, our Abundance Policy Research Consortium will explore how we might mitigate the scarcity mindset and move toward solutions that accelerate the supply of basic resources for all.”

Members of the Consortium will each focus on one of 12 essential policy areas and develop research reports that analyze the existing policy domain’s context, identify root causes of scarcity, propose policy levers to improve supply, and discuss potential challenges for implementation. Researchers and focus areas of the Consortium include:

• Childcare: Anna Powell, University of California, Berkeley

• Digital Connectivity: Edward Helderop, University of California, Riverside

• Education: Carrie Hahnel, Bellwether Education Partners

• Eldercare: Mireille Jacobson, University of Southern California

• Employment: Anibel Ferus-Comelo, University of California, Berkeley

• Energy: Keith Taylor, University of California, Davis

• Food: Anastasia Telesetsky, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

• Healthcare: Leif Wellington Haase, LWH Consulting

• Housing: Paavo Monkkonen, University of California, Los Angeles

• Safety: Mikaela Rabinowitz, National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform

• Transportation: Juan Matute, University of California, Los Angeles

• Water: Nicola Ulibarri, University of California, Irvine

The research developed by Consortium members will be used for strategic planning by high-level California state government partners as part of the Possibility Lab’s Abundance Accelerator. The Accelerator was launched in April with the release of the Expanding the Supply of Essentials in California Framework paper, and with the release of a polling brief that describes Californians’ experiences accessing basic resources.