The so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk and Donald Trump caused upheaval and chaos throughout Washington. Tasked with—according to its leaders—maximizing productivity and efficiency, DOGE’s approach may seem unprecedented, but stripping down government functioning is anything but a new idea. Rather, DOGE is one more piece of a decades-long attack on public sector institutions that, under the guise of fiscal responsibility, seeks to create a government that is more dependent on the private sector, less dedicated to the well-being of its citizens, and ultimately, less democratic. Examples from the past century show how governments that adopt austerity policies pull back on essential services, erode workers’ rights and labor conditions, and serve corporations and the ultra-rich.
We invite you to join the Roosevelt Institute on June 24 for a critical conversation on the roots and repercussions of this moment. Experts on history, economics, and democratic institutions will explain how austerity policies harm everyday Americans and offer bold alternatives for a government that truly uses all its resources to serve the people.
Speakers
Clara Mattei
Professor of Economics and Director of the Center for Heterodox Economics, University of Tulsa OklahomaClara E. Mattei is a Professor of Economics and Director of the CHE, Center for Heterodox Economics, of The University of Tulsa Oklahoma, recently inaugurated in February 2025. She was previously Associate Professor at The New School for Social Research Economics Department and has been a fellow of the Institute for Advanced Studies, Princeton.
David Stein
Assistant Professor of History, University of California, Santa Barbara, and former Roosevelt fellowDavid Stein is an assistant professor of history at University of California, Santa Barbara and a former fellow at the Roosevelt Institute. Prior to joining the faculty at UCSB, he was a UC President’s postdoctoral fellow in the department of African American studies at UCLA and a postdoctoral fellow at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York’s Center for Place, Culture, and Politics. Broadly, his research and teaching focus on the dynamic interplay between political economy, social movements, and public policy in modern US history. Stein is currently completing his first book, Fearing Inflation, Inflating Fears: The Civil Rights
Bilal Baydoun [Opening Remarks]
Director, Democratic Institutions, Roosevelt InstituteAs director of democratic institutions, Bilal Baydoun oversees research on improving democratic governance, strengthening democratic institutions, and curbing the corrosive influence of private power on democracy.
Ira Regmi [Moderator]
Program Manager, Macroeconomic Analysis, Roosevelt InstituteIra Regmi is the program manager for the macroeconomic analysis program at Roosevelt, where they support the team’s work on fiscal and monetary policy, unemployment, and growth to ensure an inclusive economy that works for all.