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Research Initiative

Big Data Initiative

Using a rapidly growing wealth of consumer and business data to improve decision-making

Faculty Directors

Stéphane Bonhomme, Azeem Shaikh

Description

Government agencies and modern businesses, from banks and online retailers to social media platforms and search engines, are amassing an unprecedented wealth of data in terms of both size and level of detail. This rapidly growing wealth of “big data” provides new opportunities to improve the quality of economic analysis. This initiative explores the ability of big data to fulfill this promise, with the help of newly developed econometric tools.

Associated Scholars

Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Stéphane Bonhomme

Ann L. and Lawrence B. Buttenwieser Professor in Economics and the College, the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics; Co-Director of BFI Big Data Initiative
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Max Farrell

Assistant Professor of Econometrics and Statistics, Booth School of Business
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Christian B. Hansen

Wallace W. Booth Professor of Econometrics and Statistcs, Booth School of Business
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Ali Hortaçsu

Ralph and Mary Otis Isham Professor of Economics, the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics; Co-Director of BFI Industrial Organization Initiative
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Tetsuya Kaji

Assistant Professor of Econometrics and Statistics, Booth School of Business
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Mladen Kolar

Associate Professor of Econometrics and Statistics, Booth School of Business
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Thibaut Lamadon

Assistant Professor in Economics and the College, the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Tengyuan Liang

Professor of Econometrics and Statistics , Booth School of Business
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Sanjog Misra

Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Marketing and Neubauer Family Faculty Fellow, Booth School of Business
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Sendhil Mullainathan

Roman Family University Professor of Computation and Behavioral Science, Chicago Booth
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Kirill Ponomarev

Assistant Professor, Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Guillaume Pouliot

Assistant Professor, Harris Public Policy
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Veronika Rockova

Professor of Econometrics and Statistics, and James S. Kemper Foundation Faculty Scholar, Booth School of Business
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Azeem Shaikh

Ralph and Mary Otis Isham Professor in Economics and the College and Thornber Research Fellow, the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics; Co-Director of BFI Big Data Initiative
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Max Tabord-Meehan

Assistant Professor in Economics and the College, the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Alexander Torgovitsky

Professor in Economics and the College, the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Panos Toulis

Associate Professor of Econometrics and Statistics, and John E. Jeuck Faculty Fellow, Booth School of Business
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Dacheng Xiu

Professor of Econometrics and Statistics, Booth School of Business

Associated Working Papers

BFI Working Paper • Nov 12, 2021

Finite- and Large-Sample Inference for Ranks using Multinomial Data with an Application to Ranking Political Parties

Sergei Bazylik, Magne Mogstad, Joseph P. Romano, Azeem Shaikh, Daniel Wilhelm
Topics:  Uncategorized
View Working Paper View Finding
BFI Working Paper • Jul 7, 2021

Test Assets and Weak Factors

Stefano Giglio, Dacheng Xiu, Dake Zhang
Topics:  Financial Markets
View Working Paper View Finding
BFI Working Paper • Feb 3, 2021

Teams: Heterogeneity, Sorting, and Complementarity

Stéphane Bonhomme
Topics:  Uncategorized
View Working Paper
View All

Associated Events

April
5-6
2019
Past Event • All Day • University of Chicago, Saieh Hall for Economics, Rm 021

Robustness in Economics and Econometrics Conference

Models are essential inputs to economic analysis. Yet, an economic model is at best only an approximation to a complex social reality. Economists have approached the issue of model...

Associated Insights

Finding•Nov 19, 2021

Finite- and Large-Sample Inference for Ranks using Multinomial Data with an Application to Ranking Political Parties

Sergei Bazylik, Magne Mogstad, Joseph P. Romano, Azeem Shaikh, Daniel Wilhelm
Methodologies described in this new research offer more accurate assessments of polling data, with potential impact on influential candidate rankings.
Finding•Jul 21, 2021

Test Assets and Weak Factors

Stefano Giglio, Dacheng Xiu, Dake Zhang
The estimated strength or weakness of a risk premium factor in asset pricing should be derived from a broad set of assets; this work proposes a novel methodology to select assets from a universe of test assets and to estimate the risk premium of a particular factor by accounting for all weak factors.
Topics:  Financial Markets

Associated News

Media Mention • Oct 24, 2019

The Tipping System Is Immoral

New York Times; John List
BFI News • Feb 20, 2018

Spotlight on BFI’s New Research Initiative to Study Big Data

The Becker Friedman Institute (BFI) launched four new research initiatives earlier this year to support collaborative research and learning around several key issues, including: the study of Big Data;...

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