Stephen Macekura

Jewish Studies director replacement ‘unprecedented,’ students and faculty say Dean Rick Van Kooten later held a nomination process one faculty member called “symbolic.”

Digital edition of IDS (IU Bloomington student paper, now in its 158th year) does continue to publish real news, including this shocking story: www.idsnews.com/article/2025...

Adding Value | Phenomenal World Mortgage insurance has traditionally been the method the federal government has used to induce investment in owner-occupied housing. But for multifamily rentals, the history of mortgage-insurance prog...

Mike Glass and I argue for @phenomenalworld.bsky.social that we’ve tried the #abundance incentive-based approach to housing crises before. But lack of oversight + incentives produced fraud, profiteering, and inflated rents -- and the Trump family fortune.
www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/add...

Part of a great special issue on "History of Economics in the Extended Field" ed. Joel Isaac & Philippe Fontaine.

Alongside articles by @abenanav.bsky.social, @smacekura.bsky.social, @simontorracinta.bsky.social, Eli Cook, Erik Baker, and Jonny Bunning

read.dukeupress.edu/hope/advance...

Far beyond Harvard, conservative efforts to reshape higher education are gaining steam Far beyond Harvard University and its standoff with the Trump administration, Republican officials in several states have been pushing for changes at public universities.

Serious, long piece via @apnews.com about the concerted attack on public education in Indiana, Ohio, Florida, Iowa, and elsewhere. Features many nice photos of the lovely Bloomington campus! apnews.com/article/harv...

Volume 49 Issue 3 | Diplomatic History | Oxford Academic The official journal of Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. Examines issues relating to U.S. diplomacy, foreign relations, and security issues from the colonial period to the present...

Our Forum "Visions of the Planet" is now published in Diplomatic History (49.3) - and you can find all articles in one place: academic.oup.com/dh/issue/49/3

Utterly disgraceful and an open assault on the historical profession. These are utterly professional, non-partisan advisors, overseeing and giving advice to the State department on the declassification of US government documents.

The office is a true jewel and the historians that produce FRUS are phenomenal. This is a resource everyone who studies foreign policy and national security should care about protecting, and anyone who believes in government transparency should care too. 3/3

history.state.gov/historicaldo...

It was a true honor to serve on the HAC which was chaired by @jimgoldgeier.bsky.social. I was an at-large member; several others were official representatives of scholarly orgs like @apsa.bsky.social, AHA, OAH, SHAFR, ASIL. 2/

Tim Naftali's tweet on the termination of the HAC members without cause.

Unhappy to confirm that the entire Historical Advisory Committee at the State Department received termination notices this afternoon (myself included). The HAC, set up by Congress, oversees the office that produces the FRUS series. history.state.gov/about/hac/in... 1/

The Kennan quote is from this excellent essay by @smacekura.bsky.social on the tensions between the emerging "planetary consciousness" of the 1970s and the Global South's demands for rapid economic development & a widespread commitment to absolute sovereignty rights. academic.oup.com/dh/advance-a...

Visions of the One Planet: The Planetary Age in International and Environmental History “We know that you don’t have the power to stop a transaction, but for goodness’ sake, we are all on the same planet.”- Congressional Representative John Co

Our introduction, w/ @smueller.bsky.social, about the planetary age in environmental and international history is online! Check out the Forum articles by Perrin Selcer, Andrea Westermann, Liesbeth van de Grift &
@smacekura.bsky.social Let's begin the debate about the visions of the one planet 🌍

ICYMI, I wrote about for-profit contractors (like Musk himself) and the United States' byzantine contracting system: the real source of waste and fraud

The Government Waste DOGE Should Be Cutting The problem that really needs fixing is not the public employees but the private contractors—and Elon Musk is one of them.

"In 1946, the government employed about 2.5 million workers and ran a budget of $628 billion; in 2023, it had only half a million more workers, but its budget stood at $4.6 trillion. How does the government disburse this colossal budget? Through contracting." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

@smacekura.bsky.social's great chapter on US foreign policy contracting informs his piece @theatlantic.com: Clinton's "reinventing government" program cut 400k direct federal hires "as it expanded the shadow government of contractor workers by nearly 300,000." 🗃️

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

DOGE Won’t Deliver Government Efficiency The problem of waste that really needs fixing is not the public employees but the private contractors—and Elon Musk is one of them.

I wrote about another problem with DOGE: real fraud lies more with for-profit contractors than government agencies. We need a more robust civil service, not more privatization of public affairs: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Mastery and Drift A revelatory look at modern liberalism’s historical evolution and enduring impact on contemporary politics and society.    Since the 1960s, American liberalism and the Democratic Party have been rema...

@lilygeismer.bsky.social and I are thrilled that our new project, Mastery and Drift: Professional Class Liberals since the 1960s, is published today. When we began this work a few years ago, we had no idea how sadly relevant exploring the evolution . . . (1/10)
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...

Congratulations, Erik! Can't wait to read it.

Mastery and Drift A revelatory look at modern liberalism’s historical evolution and enduring impact on contemporary politics and society.    Since the 1960s, American liberalism and the Democratic Party have been rema...

Liberalism's crisis has been long in the making. Read what some smart historians and I have to say about it. You can get a 30% discount with code UCPNEW if you avoid the big bad site and order directly from UChicago Press.
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...

In the Global Vanguard by James Lin - Paper Scholarship is a powerful tool for changing how people think, plan, and govern. By giving voice to bright minds and bold ideas, we seek to foster understanding and drive progressive change.

It's alive! My book now has a webpage on the University of California Press @ucpress.bsky.social website: www.ucpress.edu/books/in-the... Will be available open access in April 2025!