Miss out on this week's BFI Weekly Briefing? We've got you covered. Catch up on the latest research, events, and more here: https://ow.ly/FQL750YLcf5

Residential Segregation and Unequal Access to Local Public Services in India: Evidence from 1.5m Neighborhoods | Becker Friedman Institute Residential segregation of marginalized groups is a well-established driver of persistent inequality in wealthy countries. Segregated communities tend to have worse access to employment networks, public services, and social capital, and face more entrenched stereotypes in the broader population.1 Most existing research, however, focuses on the United States and Europe. This research gap is significant Read more...

Do cities reduce inequality or reinforce it?

New research from Anjali Adukia Sam Asher, Kritarth Jha, Paul Novosad, and Brandon Tan finds India’s cities often replicate caste and religious disparities seen in villages, shaping access to public services.

Read more: https://ow.ly/4LFj50YK2Z2

What drives organized crime and how can policy respond?

At the BFI-UNAB Organized Crime Conference, scholars and policymakers explored gang dynamics, extortion, recidivism, and citizen security across Latin America and beyond.

More: https://ow.ly/EMNY50YK2K9

Who opts into school choice and who actually benefits?

In this episode of The Pie, Chris Campos explains why higher-income, higher-achieving families are more likely to apply, while students who stand to gain the most often miss out.

Listen: https://ow.ly/eviO50YK0Sr

Multidimensional Signaling and the Rise of Cultural Politics | Becker Friedman Institute In 1992, then presidential candidate Bill Clinton’s political strategist, James Carville, famously coined a phrase to keep his candidate on message, which tidily summarizes the long-held view that voters care most about pocketbook issues: “It’s the economy, stupid.” While that assessment still holds, this research suggests that Carville’s maxim could be rephrased as, “It’s the Read more...

Voters say they care most about economics. So why do cultural issues dominate politics?

New research from Daron Acemoglu, Georgy Egorov, and Konstantin Sonin shows how cultural positions can signal deeper economic agendas.

Read more: https://ow.ly/41Pb50YJYyk

Research Brief Library | Becker Friedman Institute The latest commentary and analysis from BFI’s leading scholars in shorter, digestible forms.

Short on time, not on curiosity? 💡

BFI research briefs break down new economic research into clear, accessible insights.
https://bfi.uchicago.edu/insights/research-summaries/

Miss out on this week's BFI Weekly Briefing? We've got you covered. 🗞️💡

Catch up on the latest research, news, events, and much more here: mailchi.mp/uchicago/bfi-updates-new...

A Few Bad Apples? Academic Dishonesty, Political Selection, and Institutional Performance in China | Becker Friedman Institute This work begins with a simple statement with big implications: “Institutions act through people.” It follows that the discretionary behavior of those in power matters, and when those people, be they CEOs, judges, academic leaders, managers, politicians, and others, act dishonestly, condemnation is often swift, though some escape retribution. This is especially true in the Read more...

How does academic dishonesty shape public institutions?
New research by Zhuang Liu, Wenwei Peng, and Shaoda Wang finds plagiarism among graduate students is widespread—and linked to worse performance in public office and negative spillovers.
https://ow.ly/9jSH50YBmvT

Featuring Tess Vigeland with UChicago experts:
• Ryan Kellogg
• Paul Poast
• Jake Braun

Why did the US strike now—and why are allies hesitant? Listen to the newest ep. of The Pie now.

🎙️ New episode of The Pie: The War in Iran: Oil, Cyber Warfare, and Alliances

Four weeks into the conflict, oil supply is disrupted, cyberattacks are escalating, and there’s no clear exit. ⬇️

bfi.uchicago.edu/insights/the...

Featuring keynote speakers:
• Josh Angrist (MIT)
• Katherine Milkman (UPenn)
• Magne Mogstad (UChicago)

PhD students & junior faculty strongly encouraged to apply.

Organized by @johnlist.bsky.social (UChicago) and Robert Metcalf (Columbia), AFE 2026 brings together innovative work shaping economics, policy, and business through real-world experimentation.

📢 Call for Papers: Advances with Field Experiments (AFE) 2026

Join leading researchers using field experiments to answer big economic questions. Submit your abstract by May 29. ⬇️
bfi.uchicago.edu/events/event...

Becker Friedman Institute for Economics Join me in the adventure and make a gift to UChicago this Giving Day!

Join us in connecting 250 years of economic insight to today’s biggest challenges—from AI to global markets.

Give today: givetoday.uchicago.edu/schools/TheU...

Your gift supports BFI’s #Wealth250 initiative—fueling:
• Cutting-edge research
• Public events & conferences
• Podcasts, videos & data tools
• Evidence-based policy impact

It’s here! UChicago Giving Day is live—now through April 1 at 12pm.

Support the Becker Friedman Institute for Economics as we celebrate 250 years of The Wealth of Nations and invest in the future of economics. ⬇️ givetoday.uchicago.edu/schools/TheU...

Never Enough: Dynamic Status Incentives in Organizations | Becker Friedman Institute Many firms face a fundamental challenge regarding employee performance: How to effectively and efficiently incentivize workers. Financial rewards are effective but costly, and their motivating power can diminish over time. In this paper, the authors ask whether status-based rewards such as medals, awards, and titles can fill this gap by tapping into people’s innate desire Read more...

What drives effort inside organizations?

New research by Leonardo Bursztyn, Ewan Rawcliffe, and Hans-Joachim Voth shows how tiered, expanding status incentives can repeatedly motivate higher performance—drawing on WWII fighter pilots. https://ow.ly/e50q50YBgZy

Miss out on this week's BFI Weekly Briefing? Catch up on the latest research, events, and more here: https://ow.ly/2KWC50YzWkF

ClickUp Forms

UChicago students: secured an unpaid or underpaid summer internship in the public or nonprofit sector?

BFI is accepting proposals for Summer 2026 funding. Apply by March 29. ⬇️

Link: https://ow.ly/RQN050YzqnF

Research Brief Library | Becker Friedman Institute The latest commentary and analysis from BFI’s leading scholars in shorter, digestible forms.

Short on time, not on curiosity?

Explore BFI’s research briefs—clear, concise insights from leading economists on today’s biggest questions.

Read more: https://ow.ly/iOFK50YyTaP

BFI Working Papers | BFI Sharing research in progress—and refining it through rigorous discussion and debate—is a hallmark of scholarship at the Becker Friedman Institute for Economics.

Looking to stay ahead of the latest economic research? 📑

Explore BFI’s Working Paper Series—featuring new insights from leading economists on today’s most pressing questions.

Browse the latest: https://ow.ly/la3s50YyT3E

A World Trading System For Whom? Evidence from Global Tariffs | Becker Friedman Institute The end of 2025 and start of 2026 saw the world trading system shatter the rules and informal norms that had sustained globalization for over half a century. What will be the impact? Is the trading sy...

“A World Trading System For Whom? Evidence from Global Tariffs”

By Rodrigo Adão, John Sturm Becko, Arnaud Costinot, and Dave Donaldson

Read more of the brief here: bfi.uchicago.edu/insights/a-w...

Even more striking: countries that value their trading partners more tend to be valued more in return.

Reciprocity may play a larger role in global tariffs than we think.

How cooperative is the global trading system—really? 🌍

New research finds countries value transfers to foreigners nearly as much as their own citizens—about 75% as much on average.

✨️ We're excited to officially announce the 2026 AI+Science Summer School!

Engage with the emerging field of AI+Science and spur new research directions focused on AI-enabled scientific discovery June 22nd - 26th

Applications are due by Wednesday, April 22nd
(Application 🔗 in reply ⬇️)

Hosted by BFI and the
@CAAI_Booth

Open to the UChicago community. Learn more and register: bfi.uchicago.edu/events/event...

AI is reshaping the labor market—but what comes next?

On April 22, join Erik Hurst and Sanjog Misra for a conversation on automation, jobs, and how today’s changes compare to past technological shifts.

I am excited to organize this conference with Yana Gallen. Please submit, repost, and also circulate to your networks.

Miss this week's BFI Weekly Briefing? Catch up on the latest research, events, and more here: https://ow.ly/3lex50Ywync

Policy Outlook Panel: Iran, Oil, and the Logic of Modern Military Intervention | Becker Friedman Institute Why did the United States choose to intervene militarily in Iran, how much of it relates to global energy markets, and what does war look like in today’s increasingly interconnected world? In this Policy Outlook panel, learn how the conflict that removed Iran’s Supreme Leader and top government officials is reverberating throughout the region and Read more...

Why did the U.S. intervene in Iran—and what does it mean for energy markets and modern conflict?

Join Harris School of Public Policy and BFI for a Policy Outlook panel on Operation Epic Fury and its global implications. https://ow.ly/Twhn50Yw41w