The Honest Broker at Four

THB's Annual State of the Stack Report

Honest brokering is a group exercise

Each anniversary of the founding of The Honest Broker gives me an opportunity to report to subscribers on how things are going and to take a look into the fuzzy future and where THB might be headed next.¹ It also gives me a chance to reflect a bit on my own journey that has brought us all together through THB.

When I launched THB in October 2020, we were in the midst of a global pandemic and on the eve of a presidential election pitting Joe Biden against the incumbent Donald Trump. The world was full of uncertainties. Since then, trust in governments, the media, and other institutions has plummeted around the world. Independent writing has flourished as a consequence. Substack is a big part of these changes. Uncertainties persist as great as ever, but perhaps together we are today better positioned to make sense of them, thanks to the many independent, expert voices that have gained substantial platforms.

My overriding goal for THB continues to be to contribute in some small way to helping people to make better sense of science in policy in politics in areas where I have expertise.

THB started out as an experiment in a new way to do research, analysis, and writing. That experiment has gone well — In fact, THB is not an experiment anymore, it is now my career. At the end of December I am leaving my tenured full professor position at the University of Colorado Boulder (where I expect to continue as an emeritus professor). I affiliated with the American Enterprise Institute at the start of this year, which has been absolutely fantastic.

I expect I’ll have more to say about academia in the coming months, but my decision to leave was not a difficult one. Since announcing my retirement, I have had far more time to research and write and and I enjoy far more academic freedom. Perhaps my experiences are unique — After all, no administrator (from department chair on up) on my campus has spoken to me in more than five years, which can’t be too common an experience.²

Thanks to the paying supporters of THB, I have made good progress toward replacing my academic salary. That means I can research what I want, write what I want, and most importantly, call things like I see them. We researchers and writers are always singing for our supper — whether via grants, endowments, book sales, or now thanks to Substack, via direct appeal.

THB has a somewhat unique business model. You will certainly find some some excellent material behind the THB paywall,³ but many subscribers have told me that they support my work so it does not have to behind a paywall and enters into public discussions. Almost all THB commentary will continue to remain fully open with an aim of motivating debate and discussion on important topics — providing analyses that you will find no where else.

How are things going at THB? Let’s look at some numbers:

THB subscribers are around the world

• Over the past year THB subscribers have almost doubled, now totaling over 30,000 across more than 150 countries around the world;

• Just over half of THB subscribers are in the United States;

• THB is influential, and is read by decision makers in governments, businesses, and across civil society — as well as by a large following of the informed public.

• Over the past four years, THB has consistently published about 2 articles per week, which is a pace that makes sense for me and for most readers.

In a funny coincidence, my Google Scholar count of academic citations crossed 30,000 within hours of THB passing 30,000 subscribers. That had me thinking — It took almost 40 years to achieve the former⁴ and about 4 years to achieve the latter. I know of course that the 30k THB subscribers are a direct result of the decades of research leading to the 30k citations — so the two 30ks are symbiotic. But if you were to ask me which 30,000 I value more in 2024, it would easily be the THB subscribers.

So thanks so very much to each of you THB subscribers, and especially those who financially make THB possible!

Looking ahead, THB is going to continue going strong. The US election will be consequential and there are also important elections to come in Japan, Canada, Germany and elsewhere around the world. Making sense of science in policy and politics has never been more important or necessary.

As always, I value your feedback, advice, critique, tips (anonymous or not), and engagement. I also value your continued support.

Year five of THB starts … Now!

To celebrate THB at 4, I have created the best special offer ever here at THB. Click on the below to become a paid THB subscriber at 30% off forever — That price will never go up for you. Join the ranks of THB subscribers supporting independent research, writing, and analyses where science meets policy and politics.

1. If you are new-ish to THB please do take a moment to read the About page.

2. Well, not exactly — I’ve communicated online with administrators when my department chair trumped up some allegations, investigated, and sanctioned me (later tossed out as ridiculous, but it consumed a few years) and also I’ve emailed with administrators about my intent to retire. Other than the investigation a few years back, I last spoke one-on-one to the chairs (three different people) of the academic department I was a part of in 2012, not really a healthy work environment. Oh the stories I can tell!

3. If you are a paid subscriber, please do visit the THB Pro page for easy access to all your paywalled perks and benefits.

4. I published my first peer-reviewed paper — on solar panel orientation — one day before my 20th birthday in 1988. That paper received its first and so far only citation in 2021, 33 years later.