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Becker Friedman Institute for Economics
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        • 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...
        • 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.
        • Pre-Doctoral Research Professionals
          The Predoctoral Research in Economics Program (PREP) is intended to serve as a bridge between college and graduate school for students interested in empirical economics. The program offers unique research and professional training opportunities at the University of Chicago.
        • Expanding Discovery in Economics+
          Expanding Discovery in Economics+ (EDE+) brings together a diverse group of early undergraduate students to hone their research abilities and technical skills.
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        • Indirect Variational Inference: Applications to Earnings Dynamics
          Neele L. Balke, Stéphane Bonhomme, and Thibaut Lamadon

          Latent-variable models are central to economics but often entail intractable integration. Variational inference (VI), widely used in machine learning, turns this integration into tractable, differentiable optimization by replacing the likelihood with a variational objective. However, guarantees of recovering the true...

          Gains from Trade in Gun Policy: A Compensation-Based Benchmark
          Brad Shapiro, Sara Drango, and Sarah Moshary

          Policies restricting gun sales face substantial political opposition and constitutional constraints. In this paper, we ask how costly it would be to induce potential handgun buyers to choose less lethal alternatives. Pairing stated-choice experiments with a behavioral model of firearm...

          The Gendered Impacts of Perceived Skin Tone: Evidence from African American Siblings in 1870–1940
          Ran Abramitzky, Jacob Conway, Roy Mill, and Luke C.D. Stein

          We study differences in economic outcomes by perceived skin tone among African Americans using full-count U.S. decennial census data from the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Comparing children coded as “Black” or “Mulatto” by census enumerators and linking these children across...

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          Beliefs and Actions under Government Policy Uncertainty: Evidence from Student Loan Forgiveness
          The AGI Race and Existential Risk
          Evaluating the Spatial Consequences of a Climate Tipping Point
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        • BFI Data Studio

          Sticky Wage Norms and the Real Wage Cost of Unexpected Inflation
          The Impact of Pay Period Reporting on Improper Redeterminations for Medicaid: Problems and Implications for Implementation
          Carbon Prices, Forest Conservation and Reforestation in the Brazilian Amazon
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        • Podcasts

          The Everywhere Millionaire: Who’s Really Rich in America
          Why Your Raise Didn’t Keep Up with Inflation
          But the Cool Kids are Still Online: Behind Australia’s Failed Social Media Ban
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          Oct 16

          2026 Women in Empirical Microeconomics Conference

          Oct 16

          Fall 2026 Development Lunch Workshop

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          Fall 2026 Trade and Spatial Afternoons Seminar Series

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© 2026 Becker Friedman Institute for Economics at the University of Chicago

  • 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...
        • 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.
        • Pre-Doctoral Research Professionals
          The Predoctoral Research in Economics Program (PREP) is intended to serve as a bridge between college and graduate school for students interested in empirical economics. The program offers unique research and professional training opportunities at the University of Chicago.
        • Expanding Discovery in Economics+
          Expanding Discovery in Economics+ (EDE+) brings together a diverse group of early undergraduate students to hone their research abilities and technical skills.
        • Visitors & Fellows
        • Our Team
        • BFI Employment Opportunities
        • Contact
  • Network
        • Research Initiatives
          • Big Data Initiative
          • Health Economics Initiative
          • Industrial Organization Initiative
          • International Economics and Economic Geography Initiative
          • Macroeconomic Research Initiative
          • Political Economics Initiative
          • Price Theory Initiative
          • Public Economics Initiative
          • Ronzetti Initiative for the Study of Labor Markets
          • Socioeconomic Inequalities Initiative
        • View All caret-right
        • Global Initiatives
          • BFI-China
          • BFI-Latin America
          • Tata Centre for Development
        • View All caret-right
        • Programs & Centers
          • Development Economics Center
          • Expanding Discovery in Economics+ (EDE+)
          • Experimental Economics Program
          • Global Center for Economic Growth - Growth Academy
          • Gracias Center for Human Sciences and Well-Being
          • Macro Finance Research Program
          • Program in Behavioral Economics Research
          • TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health
        • View All caret-right
  • Scholars
    • UChicago Scholars
    • Visiting Scholars
    • Saieh Family Fellows
    • Predoctoral Research Professionals
  • Research
        • Indirect Variational Inference: Applications to Earnings Dynamics
          Neele L. Balke, Stéphane Bonhomme, and Thibaut Lamadon

          Latent-variable models are central to economics but often entail intractable integration. Variational inference (VI), widely used in machine learning, turns this integration into tractable, differentiable optimization by replacing the likelihood with a variational objective. However, guarantees of recovering the true...

          Gains from Trade in Gun Policy: A Compensation-Based Benchmark
          Brad Shapiro, Sara Drango, and Sarah Moshary

          Policies restricting gun sales face substantial political opposition and constitutional constraints. In this paper, we ask how costly it would be to induce potential handgun buyers to choose less lethal alternatives. Pairing stated-choice experiments with a behavioral model of firearm...

          The Gendered Impacts of Perceived Skin Tone: Evidence from African American Siblings in 1870–1940
          Ran Abramitzky, Jacob Conway, Roy Mill, and Luke C.D. Stein

          We study differences in economic outcomes by perceived skin tone among African Americans using full-count U.S. decennial census data from the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Comparing children coded as “Black” or “Mulatto” by census enumerators and linking these children across...

        • View All caret-right
  • Insights
        • Research Briefs

          Beliefs and Actions under Government Policy Uncertainty: Evidence from Student Loan Forgiveness
          The AGI Race and Existential Risk
          Evaluating the Spatial Consequences of a Climate Tipping Point
        • View All caret-right
        • BFI Data Studio

          Sticky Wage Norms and the Real Wage Cost of Unexpected Inflation
          The Impact of Pay Period Reporting on Improper Redeterminations for Medicaid: Problems and Implications for Implementation
          Carbon Prices, Forest Conservation and Reforestation in the Brazilian Amazon
        • View All caret-right
        • Podcasts

          The Everywhere Millionaire: Who’s Really Rich in America
          Why Your Raise Didn’t Keep Up with Inflation
          But the Cool Kids are Still Online: Behind Australia’s Failed Social Media Ban
        • View All caret-right
        • Videos

          BFI Youtube Channel external
          Captivating and informative videos on the latest insights and trends as well as the tested stock of knowledge in economics from leaders in academia, policy, business, and the media.
  • Events
        • Upcoming Events

          Oct 16

          2026 Women in Empirical Microeconomics Conference

          Oct 16

          Fall 2026 Development Lunch Workshop

          Oct 16

          Fall 2026 Trade and Spatial Afternoons Seminar Series

        • View All caret-right
  • News
    • BFI News
    • Media Mentions
    • Press Releases
  • Info For
    • Scholars
    • Students
    • Media
    • Pre-Doctoral Research Professionals
  • Subscribe
    • Join Our Weekly Briefing Newsletter
    • Newsletter Archive
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