American Thought Leaders

Why These 9 Institutions Must Be Reformed Post-COVID | Jeffrey Tucker

Nov 26, 2025
Jeffrey Tucker, a senior economics columnist and founder of the Brownstone Institute, discusses the urgent need for institutional reform post-COVID. He reveals how the pandemic uncovered deep flaws in American society and advocates for a new approach to education and independent thought. Tucker critiques the influence of Big Pharma and mainstream media while proposing alternatives to current academic publishing systems. He emphasizes the importance of rebuilding trust, protecting dissent, and revitalizing public spaces for a healthier democracy.
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INSIGHT

Pandemic Revealed Deep Preexisting Faults

  • The pandemic exposed preexisting institutional weaknesses across society, not just new problems created by COVID measures.
  • Jeffrey Tucker realized his prior assumptions about technology and markets fixing problems were mistaken after observing rapid lockdowns and censorship.
ANECDOTE

Origin Story: Great Barrington To Brownstone

  • The Great Barrington Declaration showed how expert dissent can bypass dominant narratives and reach the public effectively.
  • Brownstone grew from that model to unite expertise with courage to speak truthfully.
INSIGHT

Academic Publishing Enables Intellectual Cartels

  • Academic publishing's anonymous peer review and paywalls create cartels that suppress dissent and reward conformity.
  • This system socializes academics into risk-averse behavior, silencing alternative views during crises like COVID.
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