Becker Friedman Institute for Economics

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In this new episode of The Pie, they explore how economic principles shape parenting, marriage, work, and education—and why understanding people is essential to understanding growth.

What’s the greatest driver of economic growth? Love.
Pablo Peña joins host Tess Vigeland to discuss Human Capital for Humans, a book inspired by Gary Becker’s legendary course and grounded in simple, powerful economic ideas. bfi.uchicago.edu/insights/hum...

Join visiting scholar John Rust for “Who is More Bayesian: Humans or ChatGPT?” on Mon., Dec. 1 at 3:00 PM in Saieh Hall, Room 021. Sponsored by the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics. No registration needed—just stop by!

The study shows how big liquid savings weakened the mortgage debt channel, helping households keep consumption steady during rapid rate hikes.

The Mortgage Debt Channel of Monetary Policy when Mortgages are Liquid | Becker Friedman Institute Starting in 2022, central banks around the world raised interest rates more aggressively than they had in over 50 years. These policies have direct impacts on consumers. When the central bank raises i...

Despite >4 ppt rate hikes that raised Australian mortgage payments by ~$13,800, adjustable-rate borrowers didn’t cut spending—they used large pandemic savings buffers.

New brief from Elias, Gillitzer, Kaplan, La Cava & Prasad. bfi.uchicago.edu/insights/the...

📅 Nov 21 | University of Chicago–Northwestern China Afternoon Workshop

Hosted by BFI-China and the China Lab at Northwestern, this event convenes Midwest scholars and students to explore research on the Chinese economy.

🔗 Register here: https://ow.ly/xTPq50XpEot

This year’s conference is organized by Marina Azzimonti, Alessandra Fogli, and Veronica Guerrieri.

Program chairs: Wendy Morrison and Marta Prato.

Call for Papers: 2026 Women in Macroeconomics Conference | Becker Friedman Institute Program Chairs: Wendy Morrison, Duke University Marta Prato, Bocconi University The Becker Friedman Institute at the University of Chicago invites you to share your academic paper to be reviewed for t...

📢 Call for Papers: The 8th annual Women in Macroeconomics Conference welcomes submissions from all interested researchers across macro—growth, business cycles, macro finance, macro labor, international, and more.

Deadline: Dec 19, 2025.

🔗 Submit: bfi.uchicago.edu/events/event...

📅 Nov 21 | University of Chicago–Northwestern China Afternoon Workshop

Hosted by BFI-China and the China Lab at Northwestern, this event convenes Midwest scholars and students to explore research on the Chinese economy.

🔗https://ow.ly/xTPq50XpEot

Much unsecured debt is implicitly asset-backed, and this link shifts with firm condition and macroeconomic trends. Asset values can influence borrowing costs—particularly during economic stress.

Authors: Efraim Benmelech, Nitish Kumar & Raghuram Rajan

🔗https://ow.ly/Lw7Y50XrfCU

Join us next week on Nov 19, 2025, for a book talk with Daryl Fairweather—Chief Economist at Redfin and author of Hate the Game. The first 30 attendees get a free copy!

🔗 RSVP here: https://ow.ly/snSL50Xreh9

#Economics #BookTalk #UChicago

Co-hosted with The Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation, this conference convenes researchers across economics, sociology, law, behavioral science, healthcare, and AI to advance dialogue on discrimination.

Organizers: Marianne Bertrand, Alex Imas, Conrad Miller & Pietro Veronesi.

📢 Call for Papers: 2026 Conference on Discrimination in the 21st Century: Fostering Conversations Across Fields

All interested researchers are invited to send submissions for consideration by January 16, 2026.

🔗 ow.ly/yja550Xq7V7

BFI Student Lunch Series – Talk as Capital: Using Behavioral Science and Technology to Make Everyday Conversations an Investment in Children’s Skills | Becker Friedman Institute Boxed lunches were provided. BFI’s Student Lunch Series invites prominent speakers to engage undergraduate and graduate students in discussions on economics. The talks highlight the practical use of economics for answering real-world questions pertinent to businesses and policy makers. Why do so many American children start school already behind—and what can be done about it? Read more...

🍱 BFI Student Lunch Series–Talk as Capital: Using Behavioral Science and Technology to Make Everyday Conversations an Investment in Children’s Skills

Ariel Kalil presented Chat2Learn, an AI-powered tool helping parents build children’s skills through daily conversation.

🔗https://ow.ly/rRbp50Xq6F2

University of Chicago-Northwestern China Afternoon Workshop | Becker Friedman Institute Lunch will be provided. This workshop on the Chinese economy, hosted jointly by BFI-China and the China Lab at Northwestern University, aims to convene scholars and students from across the Midwest who are interested in issues related to China.

📅 Nov 21 | University of Chicago–Northwestern China Afternoon Workshop

Hosted by BFI-China and the China Lab at Northwestern, this event convenes Midwest scholars and students to explore research on the Chinese economy.

🔗https://ow.ly/bCWJ50XpEon

2/ Price effects took nearly a year to reach shelves, and some firms turned to “tariff engineering,” relabeling bottles to sidestep duties.

Authors: Aaron Flaaen, Ali Hortaçsu, Felix Tintelnot, Nicolás Urdaneta & Daniel Xu

Who Pays for Tariffs Along the Supply Chain? Evidence from European Wine Tariffs | Becker Friedman Institute Who bears the burden of tariffs? In light of recent tariffs on imports, policymakers, researchers, and the public have debated how tariff costs are distributed among foreign producers, domestic import...

1/🍷 Who really paid for the 2019 U.S. tariffs on European wine?

Foreign producers cut prices—but domestic markups pushed costs up. U.S. consumers ultimately paid more than the government collected in tariffs.

bfi.uchicago.edu/insights/who...

🔔Reminder!

Register now for a Public Lunch Lecture on Nov. 13 with Columbia’s Robert Metcalfe to discuss how AI-managed EV charging can help decarbonize electricity grids.

🥗 Lunch will be provided! More info and registration here: https://ow.ly/9nPW50Xkvn0

The Persistence of Female Political Power in Africa | Becker Friedman Institute Global efforts to increase women’s political representation often frame the issue as a universal challenge. Yet Africa presents a notable exception: the continent has produced numerous female heads of state (in 25 of 54 African countries, women have served as either president, vice president, or premier), and boasts some of the highest rates of female Read more...

Across Africa, history still shapes women’s political power.

📄 Research by Anderson, du Plessis, Parsa & Robinson finds that regions with traditional female leaders in the past have more women in elected office today—despite colonial disruptions. https://ow.ly/FkmC50Xns62

4/ Data & documentation: cmfdata.org
Interactive map: bfidatastudio.org/project/expl...

3/ By @rickhornbeck.bsky.social & @andershumlum.bsky.social of
@chicagobooth.bsky.social along w/ Martin Rotemberg (@nyu.edu)

2/ Census of Manufactures transcripts from 1850-1880, which sat in archives for over a century, are now digitized and publicly available for the first time.

1/ NEW: Which enterprises drove American manufacturing during the 2nd Industrial Revolution?

Return to Office and the Tenure Distribution | Becker Friedman Institute INTERACTIVE FIGURE Employee Outflow from Microsoft One effect of the COVID-19 pandemic is that many workers who formerly worked five days a week in an office now work from home all or some of the time. And this trend will likely continue. As of June 2023, an estimated 75% of tech and 28% of all Read more...

Strict return-to-office mandates can carry big costs.

📊 Analysis from BFI Data Studio shows that RTO policies drive employee exits—especially among senior staff—reducing productivity and competitiveness.

Explore the interactive: https://ow.ly/N5XP50XmMB6

“How do you win in a rigged economy?”

🎧 Hear Redfin Chief Economist @fairweatherphd.bsky.social share her “economic cheat codes” on The Pie—then continue the conversation in person on Nov. 19 at her book talk and signing.

Listen and RSVP: https://ow.ly/qyXs50XkEiM

🦇 A spooky economics throwback!

When bats died from an invasive fungus, farmers turned to chemicals—leading to a rise in infant deaths.

Eyal Frank joins The Pie to explain the economic ripple effects of ecosystem loss.

🎧 Revisit this eerie lesson: https://ow.ly/mYAJ50XkwcO

Listen and Subscribe to The Pie, A UChicago Economics Podcast. Featuring conversations with UChicago economists about their research and key events of the day. https://ow.ly/zGGA50XkvCC

🗞️ Catch up on the latest research, events, and more from the BFI Weekly Briefing here: https://ow.ly/aIEm50Xl1cv

Research Professional – Esteban Rossi-Hansberg, Rodrigo Adao (Full-Time, Benefits Eligible) Chicago, IL

BFI is hiring a full-time Research Professional to work with Esteban Rossi-Hansberg & Rodrigo Adão on projects in international finance, macro, & spatial economics.

Ideal for pre-docs planning PhDs. Apply now:
https://ow.ly/j49K50XkuNI