Summary of Michael Shellenberger’s San Fransicko

In San Fransicko (2021), bestselling author Michael Shellenberger tackles the problem of increasing homelessness, especially in the city of San Francisco. He argues that the root cause isn’t the absence of accommodation, money, or social aid programs, but the principles embedded in the minds of some people who acquire them either by experience or by identity. As a result, the values that allow cities and civilizations to exist are diminishing.

Progressives always claim to have solutions for the issues of homelessness, crime, drug abuse, alcoholism, and inequality. However, a close examination of faltering cities shows that these social problems have become exceptionally worse under the control of progressives. In response, Shellenberger looks for a different way forward that will help both homeless people and the community around them.