Friends, I've been so incredibly fortunate to spend so much of my life and career attempting lend a hand to our neighbors in countries far less fortunate than what we've had going on here in the US.

Any thoughts on the plans for the Triumphal Arch in Washington, DC? Please share them with the National Park Service! parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm....

"Ayiti cheri pou jan m'adore w Pa gen anyen kap janm fè mwen kite w"

Total Factor Productivity? Willingness To Pay? Why The Face? Most of these and more now all together on Becker Friedman Institute for Economics' BFI Blackboard! bfi.uchicago.edu/bfi-blackboa...

BFI Blackboard | Becker Friedman Institute

bfi.uchicago.edu

An economic 'who done it' with a graphic reveal popping in pink! The FT featured recent work from Chad Syverson, Ali Hortacsu, and co-authors trying to answer "Why Is Manufacturing Productivity Growth So Low?" bfi.uchicago.edu/wp-content/u...

Do you have kids? Might college be a part of their future? As someone who tends to overthink and underact on parenting decisions, this write-up (and the underlying research) really hit home. money.com/saving-for-c...

Why You’re Sabotaging Your Child’s College Fund — Even When You Can Afford It

Many parents underestimate their 529 savings impact despite potential for college costs.

money.com

I got to work quite closely with @doctorswithoutborders.org in Port-au-Prince when overseeing the J/P HRO hospitals. In addition to patching up a whole lot of people up from all of the dangers and tragedies that unfolded over those years . . .

A great reminder of why we need more rigorous evidence in public policy! Special shout out to our Emanuele Colonnelli and his findings that corruption is also internally self-defeating and does not actual succeed in greasing the wheels. voxdev.org/topic/mythbu...

Mythbusters: Development economics edition

Economic research plays a very useful role in testing our priors and establishing when widely held beliefs turn out to be false.

voxdev.org

In the hope that sharing this here isn't entirely self-defeating, check out this potential tool for overcoming our collective action problem of excessive social media use . . . brought to you by our own Leonardo Bursztyn. www.wsj.com/tech/persona...

Essay | How to Get Kids to Give Up Social Media on Their Own

To avoid “fear of missing out,” limiting social media use has to be a communal effort.

wsj.com

HUGE congrats to Philippe Aghion who shared the Nobel Prize in Economics this morning! Philippe and his work with fellow laureate Peter Howitt on "sustained growth through creative destruction” have been instrumental for the Growth Academy co-hosted by @beckerfriedman.bsky.social & the World Bank

I had the opportunity to sit down with Nobel laureate Roger Myerson recently explore some of his ideas like these (our interview will be coming out soon, but in the meantime I wanted to share with you this):

HUGE congratulations to Joel Mokyr who shared the Nobel Prize in economics this morning! We at Becker Friedman Institute for Economics hosted him just last fall along with Nobel laureates James Robinson and James Heckman as well as Deirdre McCloskey.

I've already got my copy and am excited to be kicking off this conversation. If you're in Chicago on Oct 29, please join us on campus!

Becker Friedman Institute for Economics@beckerfriedman.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Join us for a special event with Pablo Peña on Human Capital for Humans! 🎉 The first 30 attendees will receive a free copy, with a book signing + reception to follow. RSVP and more information here: https://ow.ly/S8YA50X4tGc

I realize #Chicago is in the news quite a bit these days, but in case it might be for reasons other than this one, I want to make sure you know we're building the global hub for #Quantum #Innovation! #SiliconValleyByTheSweetWaterSeaShore news.uchicago.edu/story/ground...

Groundbreaking of Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park creates anchor for quantum innovation

Chicago researchers see opportunity to enhance world-leading quantum ecosystem with state- of-the-art facility on Chicago’s South Side

news.uchicago.edu

We're all struggling to feel our way through the swamp of AI slop that is flooding the internet. Check out the latest from Alex Imas and Brian Jabarian testing AI detection tools bfi.uchicago.edu/insights/art... -- spoiler: some solid reasons to check out www.pangram.com if you haven't already.

Artificial Writing and Automated Detection | Becker Friedman Institute

Generative Artificial Intelligence tools have been adopted faster than any other technology on record, giving rise to writing that is either assisted or entirely completed by Large Language Models (LL...

bfi.uchicago.edu

The 2010 #earthquake in #Haiti, by some estimates among the largest natural disasters in history, left nearly a million-and-a-half survivors homeless and surrounded by the rubble.

The vicious downward spiral in #Haiti of #instability to #economicStagnation to #violence to #economicIsolation is heart wrenching as I watch what my friends are subjected to.

UN approves larger force to combat Haiti gang violence

The 5,550-strong force will boost a smaller Kenyan-led mission which has so far failed to tackle the crisis.

bbc.com

It was quite an honor and a ride to sit down with Jim for this conversation! Take a listen or have a watch and let me know your thoughts.

Becker Friedman Institute for Economics@beckerfriedman.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Nobel laureate Prof. James Heckman explains why ages 0–5 shape lifelong outcomes. From the Perry Preschool Program’s lasting health gains to parent-focused interventions and “dynamic complementarity,” early skills build later ones. Listen and watch now: https://ow.ly/vVHr50X7PFB

📢 We're Hiring: Senior Director, Global Communications at University of Chicago Becker Friedman Institute for Economics (BFI) I'm on the look out for an exceptional leader to take forward our global communications strategy! #hiring #communications #economics #leadership #UChicago #jobs

As we're discussing the disparity in educational outcomes around the world today in the Human Capability Initiative, measurement is paramount.

If you've not see it yet, check out these conversations I'm hosting on economics at #UChicago!

Becker Friedman Institute for Economics@beckerfriedman.bsky.social · last yr.

Introducing An Extra Slice of the Pie—a new segment of The Pie podcast! Hosted by BFI Executive Director @benjaminkrause.bsky.social, it delves into core economic ideas through conversations with UChicago faculty. You won't want to miss this🥧🎧: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wx_...

Having a great time back in #SaudiArabia speaking at the Human Capability Initiative emphasizing the need for more collaborations between innovators, implementers, and researchers to advance both evidence-based policy and policy-based evidence. #HCI2025 #BeyondReadiness

In case you missed the launch of Anthropic's new Economic Index, here's a great summary from Axios highlighting the primary takeaways: www.axios.com/2025/02/10/a...

Exclusive: Anthropic mines its data on real AI use

The research shows more users collaborating with AI than automating tasks.

axios.com

I'm very excited about this initiative and in particular the contributions of @beckerfriedman.bsky.social scholars especially Anders Humlum, as well as Michael Kremer @devinnovationlab.bsky.social and John List @johnlist.bsky.social. More to come! www.anthropic.com/economic-index

I work on using research, specifically the scientific method, to improve policy in general and programs in poor counties specifically. So until the last few weeks, most of my engagements with USAID involved me critiquing their work so to get better results for people living in poverty.

Gutting USAID threatens billions of dollars for U.S. farms, businesses

U.S. businesses that sold goods and services to USAID are in limbo, including American farms dealing in rice, wheat and soybeans.

washingtonpost.com

Listen to Presidents of both our political parties stretching back to JFK remind us why #USAID embodies the best of America as you watch the work in action around the world. vimeo.com/1052680025?s...

Save USAID: The Greatest Agency You Never Knew

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was created by President Kennedy in 1961 in a spirit of optimism and global collaboration and as a…

vimeo.com

I've personally spent a bit of time with Elon Musk many years back. Far from impressive or bright, I was struck by how pitiably immature, insecure and incurious he came across.

One danger of uninformed action & centralized authority on this scale is that even allegedly unintended steps cost unimaginable numbers of human lives. Even the emergency aid that they didn't mean to stop can't restart bc no one's left with authority to restart it. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/01/h...

Health Programs Shutter Around the World After Trump Pauses Foreign Aid

nytimes.com

It appears that usaid.gov has been shut down. I've heard from multiple friends in the US who are afraid to talk about what is happening as they've seen colleagues fired already for speaking up or sharing their thoughts.

Adam Green made salient that the university has been speaking to those of less power recently, but soon, very soon, the university will be speaking to an entity with more power, and how the university responds will go a long way in modeling the courage necessary for a genuine culture of free inquiry