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Research Briefs·Oct 27, 2026

Crime in Covid Times

Between 2019 and 2021, a nationwide increase in gun homicides pushed the U.S. murder rate up by a third, before it fell almost as quickly. This COVID-era swing has been hard to explain because it defies the canonical economic model...
Podcasts episode·Oct 27, 2026

Do Age Verification Laws Work? Evidence from Adult Websites

Since 2023, 25 states have passed laws requiring adult websites to verify visitors’ ages. Meanwhile, total time spent on these sites has fallen by only about 10%. In this episode, UChicago economist Matthew Brown discusses new research that uses browsing...
Research Briefs·Oct 22, 2026

(How) Do We Teach Emotions?

Educational materials can help children learn about emotions, but textbooks and children’s books present emotions differently in words and images. While the text includes a wide range of emotions, images overwhelmingly show happiness and calm, and demand for positive imagery...

Latest Frontier Research

BFI Working Paper·Oct 27, 2026

Who Can Control Our Firms? National Security and Foreign Ownership Regulation

Governments invoke national security to regulate foreign acquisitions of domestic firms. Why is ownership regulation a distinct policy margin beyond standard tools, like production subsidies and trade taxes? We show that contractual frictions make multinational firm boundaries central to geoeconomic...
BFI Working Paper·Oct 21, 2026

Green Subsidies with Demand Distortions

Credit constraints and other demand distortions are pervasive in lower-income contexts. A model of clean technology adoption shows that demand distortions can increase the welfare gains from green subsidies. This arises through two channels: shifting the marginal adopter toward higher...
BFI Working Paper·Oct 21, 2026

The Impact of the Great Recession on Mortality: A Dynamic Factor Analysis

We use a dynamic factor time series model to estimate the national mortality impact of the Great Recession. In aggregate, the Great Recession reduced the average annual, age-adjusted mortality rate by about 2 percent, with effects persisting for at least...

Past Events

Oct 27
Oct 26
Workshops·Oct 26, 2026, 12:00 PM·Charles M. Harper Center | Room 3B

Fall 2026 Behavioral Economics Seminar Series

by Francesca Bastianello and Avner Strulov-Shlain
Oct 23
Academic Conferences·Oct 23, 2026, 8:30 AM·University of Chicago | David Rubenstein Forum Room 601 1201 E 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637

Conference in Honor of Roger Myerson

by Benjamin Brooks, Phil Reny, and Konstantin Sonin
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Upcoming Events

Oct 27
Oct 30
Workshops·Oct 30, 2026, 12:45 PM·Saieh Hall for Economics, Rm 021 , 5757 S. University, Chicago, IL, United States, 60637

Fall 2026 Development Lunch Workshop

Organizers: Erin M. Kelley, Gregory Lane, and Eduardo Montero
Nov 2
Workshops·Nov 2, 2026, 12:00 PM·Charles M. Harper Center | Room 3B

Fall 2026 Behavioral Economics Seminar Series

Organizers: Francesca Bastianello and Avner Strulov-Shlain
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About BFI

About

About the Becker Friedman Institute

The Becker Friedman Institute for Economics (BFI) serves as a hub for cutting-edge analysis and research across the entire University of Chicago economics community, uniting researchers from the Booth School of Business, the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics, the...
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Our Legacy

Inspired by our namesakes, Nobel Laureates Gary Becker and Milton Friedman, who believed that economics research could help improve the world, BFI works with the Chicago Economics community to turn its evidence-based research into real-world impact.

Our Team

University of Chicago faculty members and other accomplished economists set the goals and direction of the Institute.
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