Steven Levitt

Steven Levitt is an American economist renowned for applying economic theory to unconventional subjects. He is the William B. Ogden Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago and a co-author of the bestselling Freakonomics series. His research, often conducted with various collaborators, spans topics from crime and corruption to sports and parenting, utilizing creative data analysis to challenge conventional wisdom.

Early life and education

Born in Boston, Levitt was raised in Minnesota and later Illinois. He demonstrated an early aptitude for mathematics and competition, participating in activities like the Mathcounts program. He completed his undergraduate studies at Harvard University, graduating in 1989 with a degree in economics. He then pursued his doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earning his PhD in 1994 under the advisement of renowned economist James M. Poterba. His dissertation work foreshadowed his future career, examining topics such as political corruption and the behavior of street gangs.

Academic career

After completing his PhD, Levitt joined the faculty of Harvard University as an assistant professor. In 1997, he moved to the University of Chicago, where he has remained a central figure in its prestigious Department of Economics. He is a director of the Becker Friedman Institute for Research in Economics and has held affiliations with the American Bar Foundation. His teaching and mentorship have influenced a generation of economists, and he is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. His collaborative work extends across disciplines, frequently partnering with scholars from fields like law and sociology.

Research and publications

Levitt's research is characterized by its empirical approach to puzzling social phenomena. A seminal 2001 paper in the Quarterly Journal of Economics, co-authored with John Donohue, controversially argued that the legalization of abortion in the 1970s contributed significantly to the drop in crime in the 1990s. He has published extensively on police effectiveness, cheating by teachers on standardized tests, and the economics of sumo wrestling. His work often employs innovative datasets, such as analyzing the financial records of a Chicago drug cartel or testing for discrimination on the game show The Weakest Link. Many of his influential papers appear in top journals like the American Economic Review and the Journal of Political Economy.

Freakonomics and public impact

Levitt's public fame skyrocketed following the 2005 publication of Freakonomics, co-written with journalist Stephen J. Dubner. The book applied economic principles to diverse questions, exploring links between real estate agent incentives and the Ku Klux Klan, and the parenting practices of "Tiger Mothers." Its massive success led to a New York Times blog, a radio podcast, and sequels including SuperFreakonomics and Think Like a Freak. The Freakonomics brand has expanded into films, lectures, and a consulting firm, The Greatest Good, significantly influencing popular understanding of economics and data-driven thinking. The work has been both celebrated and criticized for its provocative conclusions and accessible style.

Awards and recognition

In 2003, Levitt was awarded the John Bates Clark Medal, one of the highest honors in economics, given to the most promising economist under forty. He was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2011. His work has been recognized with awards from the American Statistical Association and the Ronald Coase Institute. In 2006, he was named one of Time magazine's "100 People Who Shape Our World." His books have received numerous accolades, including a Quill Award, and have been translated into more than 35 languages, cementing his status as one of the most influential and widely-read economists of his generation.

Category:American economists Category:University of Chicago faculty Category:Harvard University alumni Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Category:John Bates Clark Medal winners Category:1967 births Category:Living people