Faculty Directors

Description

Pervasive in our economy are inequalities across socioeconomic groups: for example by gender, race, ethnicity, religion or creed, and class. Understanding the origins of these inequalities, as well as how they manifest themselves across time and space, is crucial to developing effective policies that can close gaps and ensure that all citizens have equal opportunities to succeed. The Socioeconomic Inequalities Initiative will support the research of UChicago scholars who are pushing the boundaries of inequality research across social groups and encourage innovation in economic research on this topic, including the incorporation of insights from other fields where appropriate.. Inequality not only reveals itself in economic outcomes but also through such phenomena as cultural influence—from social media to entertainment and journalism—regulation, the criminal justice system, education, institutions, and a host of others. Given their broad reach, it is important to understand how inequalities persist, where they persist, and also why some have faded over time. In addition, it is important to take into account how and why the social groups over which these inequalities exist are themselves constructed and determined, and how that process varies across time, regions, and countries. To address these important issues, Initiative scholars will employ new and innovative sources of data that will lend fresh insight to long-term problems and, and provide nuanced analysis that can help inform policymaking.

Associated Scholars

Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Anjali Adukia

Assistant Professor, Harris Public Policy
Scholars /

Jeannie Annan

Senior Research Associate, Harris School of Public Policy
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Marianne Bertrand

Chris P. Dialynas Distinguished Service Professor of Economics and Willard Graham Faculty Scholar, Chicago Booth
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Leonardo Bursztyn

Saieh Family Professor, the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics; Co-Director of BFI Political Economics Initiative
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Christopher Campos

Assistant Professor of Economics, Booth School of Business
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Rebecca Dizon-Ross

Associate Professor of Economics, Booth School of Business
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Oeindrila Dube

Philip K. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies, Harris Public Policy; Director of BFI Initiative for the Study of Gender in the Economy
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Steven Durlauf

Steans Professor in Educational Policy and the Director of the Stone Center for Research on Wealth Inequality and Mobility, Harris Public Policy
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Yana Gallen

Assistant Professor, Harris Public Policy
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Peter Ganong

Assistant Professor, Harris Public Policy
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Jacob Goldin

Richard M. Lipton Professor of Tax Law, The Law School
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Alessandra González

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

Jeffrey Grogger

Irving Harris Professor in Urban Policy, Harris Public Policy
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Erik Hurst

Frank P. and Marianne R. Diassi Distinguished Service Professor of Economics and John E. Jeuck Faculty Fellow, Chicago Booth; Deputy Director, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Alex Imas

Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics and Vasilou Faculty Scholar, Booth School of Business
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Juanna Schrøter Joensen

Research Associate Professor in Economics, the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Ariel Kalil

Daniel Levin Professor, Director of the Center for Human Potential and Public Policy (CHPPP), Harris Public Policy
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Emir Kamenica

Richard O. Ryan Professor of Economics and Neubauer Family Faculty Fellow, Booth School of Business
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Gregory Lane

Assistant Professor, Harris School of Public Policy
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

John List

Kenneth C. Griffin Distinguished Service Professor in Economics and the College, Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics; Director of the Chicago Experiments Initiative
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Jens Ludwig

Edwin A. and Betty L. Bergman Distinguished Service Professor, Harris School of Public Policy; Director, University of Chicago Crime Lab; Co-Director of the Education Lab
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Magne Mogstad

The Gary S. Becker Professor in Economics and the College, the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics; Director of BFI Ronzetti Initiative for the Study of Labor Markets
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Sendhil Mullainathan

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

Pascal Noel

Associate Professor of Finance, Booth School of Business
Scholars / UChicago Scholar

Evan K. Rose

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

Pietro Veronesi

Chicago Board of Trade Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business

Associated Working Papers

BFI Working Paper Jul 28, 2023

Doing Business Far from Home: Multinational Firms and Labor Market Outcomes in Saudi Arabia

Alessandra González, Xianglong Kong
Topics:  Employment & Wages
BFI Working Paper Mar 22, 2023

Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Empowering Female Entrepreneurs through Female Mentors

Frank Germann, Stephen J. Anderson, Pradeep K. Chintagunta, Naufel Vilcassim
Topics:  Economic Mobility & Poverty
BFI Working Paper Mar 20, 2023

How Are Gender Norms Perceived?

Leonardo Bursztyn, Alexander W. Cappelen, Bertil Tungodden, Alessandra Voena, David Yanagizawa-Drott
Topics:  Uncategorized

Associated Insights

Associated News

BFI News Sep 21, 2023

BFI Launches New Socioeconomic Inequalities Initiative

The Becker Friedman Institute for Economics (BFI) is launching the Socioeconomic Inequalities Initiative to support and promote inquiry that will enhance fundamental knowledge of inequalities across socioeconomic groups. The...
BFI News Jun 2, 2022

BFI Awards Eight New Grants for the Study of Gender in the Economy

The Becker Friedman Institute for Economics (BFI) is pleased to announce the award of eight new grants supporting research by University of Chicago faculty and students on gender and...