The Becker Friedman Institute @UChicago supports inquiry on significant economic and policy questions. RT/Follow ≠ endorsement.
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Stay informed with BFI's Weekly Briefing🗞️—your source for the latest research insights, upcoming events, and more from the Becker Friedman Institute for Economics.
👉Subscribe now: bfi.uchicago.edu/subscribe
📢 Call for Research Proposals: AI in the Workplace
UChicago faculty and PhD students can apply for up to $20,000 in research support through the Kenneth C. Griffin Applied Economics Incubator.
Deadline: Friday, October 30.
Apply: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F…
Research may explore AI’s effects on employment, wages, productivity, workforce development, firm behavior, and more.
Innovative research questions and interdisciplinary approaches are encouraged.
Learn more and apply: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F…
Between 2019 and 2021, the U.S. murder rate rose by a third before falling almost as quickly.
What explains this dramatic shift in gun violence during COVID-19?
New research from @jensottoludwig examines the role of behavioral economics. bfi.uchicago.edu/insights/cr…
Ludwig finds that many shootings are not calculated acts driven by expected benefits and costs, but arise from in-the-moment arguments that escalate into gun violence.
Read the new BFI brief, Crime in Covid Times: bfi.uchicago.edu/insights/cr…
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2026 Women in Empirical Microeconomics Conference at UChicago!
Researchers shared early-stage work, exchanged feedback, and explored new approaches across empirical microeconomics.
Special thanks to keynote speaker Janet Currie, organizers Pauline Carry, Renata Gaineddenova, Virginia Minni & Manasvini Singh, and scientific committee members Yunan Ji, Anna Russo, Awa Ambra Seck & Garima Sharma.
📸 View photos: bfi.uchicago.edu/events/even…
Becker Friedman Institute for Economics retweeted
The @BeckerFriedman is recruiting a Research Professional to work with Koichiro Ito.
Learn more at bit.ly/4zbBa4E
Becker Friedman Institute for Economics retweeted
Great visit to Harvard today. Met tons of faculty and students and had so many interesting discussions. The grad students are just brimming with ideas and questions about economics and AI. The kids are alright!
Pictured: me with my undergrad advisee Jeremy Huang, and a picture of me from 2017.
BFI is pleased to announce that Diana Smith has been named Executive Director!
With more than 13 years at University of Chicago, Smith brings extensive experience advancing academic programs, supporting research, and building strategic partnerships.
Why does Latin America grow slowly?
A new BFI research brief in collaboration with @uandresbello explores how capital and workers remain stuck in firms that use them less productively, limiting economic growth.
Evidence from Brazil reveals two key findings:
• Subsidized credit largely flowed to large, low-risk firms without increasing investment.
• Workers who left establishments following labor inspections moved to better-paying firms.
The takeaway? Economic growth depends not just on increasing investment, but on helping capital and workers move toward more productive uses.
Read Stuck: Why Capital and Workers Don’t Go Where They’re Needed: bfi.uchicago.edu/insights/st…
📚 How do educational materials teach children about emotions?
New research from Anjali Adukia, Matthew Bonci, Paula Dastres, Emileigh Harrison, Jake Nicoll, and Teodora Szasz examines how textbooks and children’s books portray emotions. bfi.uchicago.edu/insights/ho…
The researchers find that while written content presents a wide range of emotions, illustrations overwhelmingly emphasize happiness and calm.
Demand for positive imagery may help reinforce this pattern.
These findings highlight differences in how children encounter emotions through words and images in educational materials.
Explore the findings in BFI’s latest research brief, “(How) Do We Teach Emotions?” bfi.uchicago.edu/insights/ho…
How is AI reshaping social science?
On October 8–9, BFI brought together researchers across disciplines for the 2026 AI in Social Science Conference, featuring a keynote by Jens Ludwig. @CAAI_Booth
Explore conference highlights and view photos: bfi.uchicago.edu/events/even…
📢 BFI is hiring!
Explore predoctoral Research Professional opportunities at UChicago, working alongside leading economists and gaining hands-on experience in economic research.
View open positions and apply: bfi.uchicago.edu/employment-…
