I think you’re right that some of the abundance ideas aren’t exactly new to EA folks, but I also think it’s true that: (1) packaging a diverse set of ideas/policies (re: housing, science, transportation) under the heading of abundance is smart and innovative, (2) there is newfound momentum around designing and implementing an abundance-related agenda (eg), and (3) the implementation of this agenda will create opportunities for further academic research (enabling people to, for instance, study some of those cruxes). All of this to say, if were a smart, ambitious, EA-oriented grad student, I think I would find the intellectual opportunities in this space exciting and appealing to work on.
I think you’re right that some of the abundance ideas aren’t exactly new to EA folks, but I also think it’s true that: (1) packaging a diverse set of ideas/policies (re: housing, science, transportation) under the heading of abundance is smart and innovative, (2) there is newfound momentum around designing and implementing an abundance-related agenda (eg), and (3) the implementation of this agenda will create opportunities for further academic research (enabling people to, for instance, study some of those cruxes). All of this to say, if were a smart, ambitious, EA-oriented grad student, I think I would find the intellectual opportunities in this space exciting and appealing to work on.