Jonathan Bean

Jonathan Bean is a Professor of History at Southern Illinois University (SIU) and a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute. He holds a Ph.D. in Business History from The Ohio State University (1994). His research focuses on federal policies, small business administration, and the intersection of race, liberty, and economic history. Bean has authored influential books such as Race and Liberty in America, Beyond the Broker State, and Big Government and Affirmative Action, which critique historical policy outcomes. He has been recognized with prestigious awards, including the Henry Adams Prize and the Herman E. Krooss Prize.

Bean’s media engagements span NPR, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, where he discusses historical policy analyses. He served on the Illinois State Advisory Panel for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (2011–2023) and was named SIU’s Outstanding Teacher of the Year (2005) and Graduate Mentor of Excellence (2017). He has also testified before the U.S. Senate and consulted for the Japanese government on corporate litigation cases.

Academically, Bean pioneered online education initiatives, including interactive curricula like Opposing Viewpoints in U.S. History (2018). He contributed to SIU’s alignment of online courses with the Higher Learning Commission’s standards through the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Distance Education.