Ben Krause
@benjaminkrause.bsky.social
66 followers 63 following 230 posts
Exec Director at UChicago's Becker Friedman Institute for Economics (BFI): 'Frontier Research. Global Impact.' My own research is on development and governance, primarily in weak states and ungoverned spaces. Also: SciFi, dad jokes, midwesternisms.
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benjaminkrause.bsky.social
Take a listen to my sit down with James Robinson just days after he won the Nobel Prize this year. We're experimenting @beckerfriedman.bsky.social with new formats like this to better highlight the stock of knowledge in Economics. I'd sincerely appreciate feedback, suggestions, and additional ideas!
benjaminkrause.bsky.social
A great reminder of why we need more rigorous evidence in public policy! Special shout out to our Emanuele Colonnelli and his findings that corruption is also internally self-defeating and does not actual succeed in greasing the wheels.

voxdev.org/topic/mythbu...
Mythbusters: Development economics edition
Economic research plays a very useful role in testing our priors and establishing when widely held beliefs turn out to be false.
voxdev.org
benjaminkrause.bsky.social
In the hope that sharing this here isn't entirely self-defeating, check out this potential tool for overcoming our collective action problem of excessive social media use . . . brought to you by our own Leonardo Bursztyn.

www.wsj.com/tech/persona...
Essay | How to Get Kids to Give Up Social Media on Their Own
To avoid “fear of missing out,” limiting social media use has to be a communal effort.
www.wsj.com
benjaminkrause.bsky.social
If you're a government official in a Middle Income country working to overcome the 'Middle Income Trap', join us next summer in Chicago!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da49...
Growth Academy 2024 Highlights
YouTube video by Growth Academy
www.youtube.com
benjaminkrause.bsky.social
HUGE congrats to Philippe Aghion who shared the Nobel Prize in Economics this morning!

Philippe and his work with fellow laureate Peter Howitt on "sustained growth through creative destruction” have been instrumental for the Growth Academy co-hosted by
@beckerfriedman.bsky.social & the World Bank
benjaminkrause.bsky.social
Bringing nonvoting representatives of red-state perspectives into the congressional Democrats’ deliberations would be a strong signal of Democrats’ commitment to work for people in every part of America."

thehill.com/opinion/camp...
thehill.com
benjaminkrause.bsky.social
"To ensure that views from these Republican-dominated red states are not ignored, the House Democratic Caucus should invite these states’ Democratic parties to designate a recent congressional candidate to serve as a liaison with the House Democrats.
benjaminkrause.bsky.social
I had the opportunity to sit down with Nobel laureate Roger Myerson recently explore some of his ideas like these (our interview will be coming out soon, but in the meantime I wanted to share with you this):
benjaminkrause.bsky.social
They explored the very topic he was recognized for this morning: “the prerequisites for sustained growth through technological progress” -- or as we called it at the time: "Culture and Markets: The Potent Mix that Fueled Growth from the Industrial Revolution to the Present"
benjaminkrause.bsky.social
HUGE congratulations to Joel Mokyr who shared the Nobel Prize in economics this morning!

We at Becker Friedman Institute for Economics hosted him just last fall along with Nobel laureates James Robinson and James Heckman as well as Deirdre McCloskey.
benjaminkrause.bsky.social
I've already got my copy and am excited to be kicking off this conversation. If you're in Chicago on Oct 29, please join us on campus!
beckerfriedman.bsky.social
Join us for a special event with Pablo Peña on Human Capital for Humans! 🎉 The first 30 attendees will receive a free copy, with a book signing + reception to follow. RSVP and more information here: https://ow.ly/S8YA50X4tGc
benjaminkrause.bsky.social
I realize #Chicago is in the news quite a bit these days, but in case it might be for reasons other than this one, I want to make sure you know we're building the global hub for #Quantum #Innovation!

#SiliconValleyByTheSweetWaterSeaShore

news.uchicago.edu/story/ground...
Groundbreaking of Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park creates anchor for quantum innovation
Chicago researchers see opportunity to enhance world-leading quantum ecosystem with state- of-the-art facility on Chicago’s South Side
news.uchicago.edu
benjaminkrause.bsky.social
While we've seen much less reporting during this disaster here in the US, the tragedies unfolding in hundreds of thousands of children's lives are no less unconscionable.
benjaminkrause.bsky.social
Today in #Haiti, nearly as many people have been displaced by the human disaster of #EconomicCollapse, failing #StateCapacity and #OrganizedCrime.
benjaminkrause.bsky.social
The 2010 #earthquake in #Haiti, by some estimates among the largest natural disasters in history, left nearly a million-and-a-half survivors homeless and surrounded by the rubble.
benjaminkrause.bsky.social
The vicious downward spiral in #Haiti of #instability to #economicStagnation to #violence to #economicIsolation is heart wrenching as I watch what my friends are subjected to.
UN approves larger force to combat Haiti gang violence
The 5,550-strong force will boost a smaller Kenyan-led mission which has so far failed to tackle the crisis.
www.bbc.com
benjaminkrause.bsky.social
Connect with decision makers in the private, public and social sectors.

Advance both Frontier Research and Global Impact.

👉 Apply here: uchicago.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/External/job...
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benjaminkrause.bsky.social
Join us at one of the world's premier economic institutions.

Work alongside Nobel laureates and leading scholars.

Translate rigorous research into compelling narratives that speak to the most pressing matters of our time.
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benjaminkrause.bsky.social
📢 We're Hiring: Senior Director, Global Communications
at University of Chicago
Becker Friedman Institute for Economics (BFI)

I'm on the look out for an exceptional leader to take forward our global communications strategy!

#hiring #communications #economics #leadership #UChicago #jobs
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benjaminkrause.bsky.social
Work like the attached highlighting that 90% of 10-year-olds in low income countries cannot functionally read helps frame how far we have to go.

hashtag#HCI2025 hashtag#BeyondReadiness

openknowledge.worldbank.org/server/api/c...
openknowledge.worldbank.org
benjaminkrause.bsky.social
As we're discussing the disparity in educational outcomes around the world today in the Human Capability Initiative, measurement is paramount.