This panel explores the intersection of business history, public policy, and advocacy, highlighting the potential for historical research to inform contemporary policymaking and implementation. Panelists will discuss the policy relevance of business history, including its role in identifying relevant examples of successful and failed past programs and providing actionable insights on contemporary policy debates.
The roundtable will address innovative approaches to teaching "applied history" in business history classes, such as using case method teaching, integrating historical methods into contemporary research, and critically examining "uses of the past." Practical applications for discussion on how to translate history into policy include: submitting public comments on proposed regulations or requests for information (RFI), FOIA requests as a method of discovery, contributing insights as subject matter experts in policy discussions, writing policy papers or amicus curiae briefs on legal cases, and engaging federal and state policy implementers and NGO analysts in different policy arenas. The three main goals of this panel are, first, to expand beyond traditional public intellectual roles to explore new ways of engaging policymakers and the public, second, to illustrate non-academic career paths for history graduates, and, third, to frame historical research in a manner that speaks to policy makers. Panelists will share their experiences and initiatives in this emerging field. The audience will be encouraged to participate in an open discussion, contributing their own insights and experiences. This roundtable aims to stimulate dialogue on how business historians can actively contribute to policy discussions and prepare students for diverse career opportunities.