University of Chicago: Department of Economics

Human Capital & Economic Opportunity: A Global Working Group
Working with the Becker Friedman Institute for Research in Economics and supported by the Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET), this network is an interdisciplinary community committed to the advancement of human capital development research.

The Heckman Equation
Heckmanequation.org is an online resource for policymakers, advocates and organizations who promote investment in early childhood education. Supported by the following funders, who came together with a common goal of disseminating Professor Heckman and his colleagues research as part of the Pritzker Consortium of Early Childhood Development at the Harris School at the University of Chicago:

• The Irving Harris Foundation
• The Children’s Initiative: A Project of the J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation
• The McCormick Foundation
• An anonymous funder

Initiative for Computational Economics
In conjunction with the Becker Friedman Institute, the Computation Institute, Argonne National Laboratory, and the Booth School of Business, we sponsor the Initiative for Computational Economics (ICE), held annually since 2005.

ERC History

The Economics Research Center (ERC) was developed at the University of Chicago in 2001 to support basic empirical research in economics at Chicago directed toward policy problems. The Center was founded with four main aims:

• The ERC will support empirical and quantitative research in economics at Chicago, as conducted by faculty, students and visitors.
• The ERC will create a more attractive and supportive research environment for some of the world’s best faculty and graduate students.
• The ERC will systematically publicize the research of faculty and graduates.
• The ERC will support conferences on major public policy questions.

This enhanced visibility in the wider world will serve two functions: (a) it will acquaint the wider world with the wealth of applied research activities being conducted at Chicago; and (b) it will open Chicago economists up to a wider array of policy questions as persons and institutions turn to the Center for guidance on general policy issues.