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...
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.
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+ (EDE+) brings together a diverse group of early undergraduate students to hone their research abilities and technical skills.
Paul J. Christian, Felipe A. Dunsch, Jonas Heirman, Erin M. Kelley, Florence Kondylis, Gregory Lane, Jennifer Waidler, Nidhila Adusumalli, Odbayar Batmunkh, and Kriti Malhotra
As increasingly frequent extreme weather events disrupt lives, institutions are turning to earlywarning systems and advance preparation to accelerate aid delivery. We present evidence from a randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh and Nepal testing whether providing cash within days of...
Matthew Elias, Christian Gillitzer, Greg Kaplan, Gianni La Cava, and Nalini Prasad
We examine what is widely considered to be one of the strongest channels of monetary policy transmission into household spending – the effect of changes in mortgage payments when mortgage rates are linked to the short-term policy rate. Using bank...
Alex Imas, Kristóf Madarász, and Heather Sarsons
This paper presents a new framework for understanding economic nationalism based on an empirically-validated desire for dominance, which generates a preference for exclusionary policies. We incorporate such preferences into a model of international trade. The model predicts that exclusionary preferences...
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.
Efraim Benmelech, Nitish Kumar, and Raghuram Rajan
Contrary to conventional wisdom, much unsecured debt is implicitly asset backed, and the degree to which unsecured debt is asset...
BFI Data Studio·Nov 6, 2025
Unlocking the Power of Markets as a New Tool for Regulating Pollution
Michael Greenstone, Rohini Pande, Nicholas Ryan, and Anant Sudarshan
How the world’s first particulate pollution market in India reduced pollution and increased industry profits.
Research Briefs·Nov 6, 2025
Who Pays for Tariffs Along the Supply Chain? Evidence from European Wine Tariffs
Aaron B. Flaaen, Ali Hortaçsu, Felix Tintelnot, Nicolás Urdaneta, and Daniel Xu
Although foreign producers partially absorbed the 2019 US tariffs on European wines by lowering their prices, domestic markups amplified the...
BFI Data Studio·Nov 5, 2025
Explore Historical Manufacturing Data
Richard Hornbeck, Anders Humlum, and Martin Rotemberg
In this project, UChicago and NYU economists Richard Hornbeck, Anders Humlum, and Martin Rotemberg have led efforts to digitize the...
Podcasts episode·Nov 4, 2025
You Might Also Like: Farmer’s A.I. Manac, from Shocked
Tess Vigeland, Amy Harder, and Michael Greenstone
A warmer world is here. Now what? Listen to Shocked, from the University of Chicago’s Institute for Climate and Sustainable...
Research Briefs·Oct 30, 2025
Jealousy of Trade: Exclusionary Preferences and Economic Nationalism
Alex Imas, Kristóf Madarász, and Heather Sarsons
Many voters support tariffs and protectionist policies that materially hurt them because they derive value from consuming or possessing goods...
Podcasts episode·Oct 28, 2025
Economic Cheat Codes: How Game Theory Can Help You Win at Work, Love, and Life
Tess Vigeland and Daryl Fairweather
The secret to winning in a rigged economy isn’t changing the rules, argues Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather, but mastering...
Research Briefs·Oct 23, 2025
Five Facts about the First-Generation Excellence Gap
Uditi Karna, John List, Andrew Simon, and Haruka Uchida
First-generation students—those whose parents lack college degrees—represent 70% of the student population but only 40% of top academic performers. Large...
Research Briefs·Oct 22, 2025
Firms Have Partial Knowledge: Evidence from a Reform
Avner Strulov-Shlain
A pricing reform in Israeli supermarkets that forced firms to adjust prices revealed that they operated with only partial knowledge...
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...
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.
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+ (EDE+) brings together a diverse group of early undergraduate students to hone their research abilities and technical skills.
Paul J. Christian, Felipe A. Dunsch, Jonas Heirman, Erin M. Kelley, Florence Kondylis, Gregory Lane, Jennifer Waidler, Nidhila Adusumalli, Odbayar Batmunkh, and Kriti Malhotra
As increasingly frequent extreme weather events disrupt lives, institutions are turning to earlywarning systems and advance preparation to accelerate aid delivery. We present evidence from a randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh and Nepal testing whether providing cash within days of...
Matthew Elias, Christian Gillitzer, Greg Kaplan, Gianni La Cava, and Nalini Prasad
We examine what is widely considered to be one of the strongest channels of monetary policy transmission into household spending – the effect of changes in mortgage payments when mortgage rates are linked to the short-term policy rate. Using bank...
Alex Imas, Kristóf Madarász, and Heather Sarsons
This paper presents a new framework for understanding economic nationalism based on an empirically-validated desire for dominance, which generates a preference for exclusionary policies. We incorporate such preferences into a model of international trade. The model predicts that exclusionary preferences...
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.
