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Ben Krause

@benjaminkrause.bsky.social

65 followers 63 following 210 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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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · Nov 25

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!

Becker Friedman Institute for Economics @beckerfriedman.bsky.social · Nov 25

James Robinson, professor at Harris School of Public Policy & this year's econ Nobel winner, joins Ben Krause, Director of BFI, & The Pie host, Tess Vigeland for "An Extra Slice of The Pie." Tune in for an in-depth discussion of James' research, career, and more. bfi.uchicago.edu/insights/an-...

An Extra Slice of the Pie, with James Robinson: History, Politics, and the Road to an Economics Nobel | BFI

James Robinson, a University Professor with appointments in both UChicago’s Harris School of Public Policy as well as the Political Science Department in the Division of Social Sciences, is the univer...

bfi.uchicago.edu

Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 14h

The need for this "#Gang Suppression Force" (GSF) www.bbc.com/news/article... is very much connected with actions that further antagonize the spiral like this www.wsj.com/world/americ...

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

Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 14h

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

Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 14h

It was quite an honor and a ride to sit down with Jim for this conversation! Take a listen or have a watch and let me know your thoughts.

Becker Friedman Institute for Economics @beckerfriedman.bsky.social · 1d

Nobel laureate Prof. James Heckman explains why ages 0–5 shape lifelong outcomes. From the Perry Preschool Program’s lasting health gains to parent-focused interventions and “dynamic complementarity,” early skills build later ones. Listen and watch now: https://ow.ly/vVHr50X7PFB

The Economics of Early Childhood: Why the First Five Years Matter Most | Becker Friedman Institute

Nobel laureate James Heckman explains why ages zero to five are critical for brain development and lifelong outcomes. He discusses the Perry Preschool Program’s surprising health benefits 35 years later, why low-cost home-visiting programs that engage parents outperform expensive institutional interventions, and how “dynamic complementarity” means early skills beget later skills. Heckman also critiques economics’ Read more...

bfi.uchicago.edu

Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 15h

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...

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

lnkd.in

Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 15h

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.

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

lnkd.in

Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 15h

📢 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

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

lnkd.in

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · Apr 14

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

Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · Apr 14

As we're discussing the disparity in educational outcomes around the world today in the Human Capability Initiative, measurement is paramount.

Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · Apr 14

If you've not see it yet, check out these conversations I'm hosting on economics at #UChicago!

Becker Friedman Institute for Economics @beckerfriedman.bsky.social · Apr 3

Introducing An Extra Slice of the Pie—a new segment of The Pie podcast! Hosted by BFI Executive Director @benjaminkrause.bsky.social, it delves into core economic ideas through conversations with UChicago faculty.

You won't want to miss this🥧🎧: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wx_...

The Pie: University of Chicago Economics Podcast | Becker Friedman Institute

Economists are always talking about The Pie – how it grows and shrinks, how it’s sliced, and who gets the biggest shares. Join host Tess Vigeland as she talks with leading economists from the Universi...

bfi.uchicago.edu

Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · Apr 14

Having a great time back in #SaudiArabia speaking at the Human Capability Initiative emphasizing the need for more collaborations between innovators, implementers, and researchers to advance both evidence-based policy and policy-based evidence.

#HCI2025 #BeyondReadiness

Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · Feb 17

In case you missed the launch of Anthropic's new Economic Index, here's a great summary from Axios highlighting the primary takeaways:

www.axios.com/2025/02/10/a...

Exclusive: Anthropic mines its data on real AI use

The research shows more users collaborating with AI than automating tasks.

www.axios.com

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · Feb 10

I'm very excited about this initiative and in particular the contributions of @beckerfriedman.bsky.social scholars especially Anders Humlum, as well as Michael Kremer
@devinnovationlab.bsky.social and John List @johnlist.bsky.social. More to come!

www.anthropic.com/economic-index

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · Feb 7

Still, I'm dang proud of all the good USAID indeed accomplishes for the rest of the world even as I've been one of its intended primary beneficiaries: an American enjoying cheaper food, lower unemployment, more prosperous rural communities, and great security here at home. wapo.st/3WSo7nI

Gutting USAID threatens billions of dollars for U.S. farms, businesses

U.S. businesses that sold goods and services to USAID are in limbo, including American farms dealing in rice, wheat and soybeans.

wapo.st

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · Feb 7

I also feel pretty ashamed that we so often pretend at the end of that long chain that the primary goal was helping people all along.

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · Feb 7

Again, I got a whole lot of thoughts on how to make that last step more effective and less often unintentionally destructive, (best of all would be to uncouple benefiting ourselves from helping others).

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · Feb 7

USAID is an America first strategy whose charity saves lives as an added bonus.

In other words, USAID directly benefits a whole heck of a lot of Americans, and when the stars align, it also saves lives.

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · Feb 7

and other geopolitical benefits that accrue through aid, that are the primary motivation and justification.

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · Feb 7

I have had the privilege to see each step of that process in person, and it is always the last one that sustains me. But I've never forgotten that it is each of the prior steps - and lastly the benefits that the US enjoys from the good will, reduced refugee flows, regional stability,

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · Feb 7

Nevertheless, at the very end of all of that, the food still has the tremendous benefit of filling the famished families who gather together to share it.

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · Feb 7

It was received around the world by workers who could only fly on US airlines who mostly worked for US based companies and organizations. US interests always played some role in determining which countries received how much.

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · Feb 7

Then all my trucking fam out there as well as the private railroads benefited as the gov paid them to ship that excess to storage silos who then also benefited. Once it got to the water, it always had to be on US flagged vessels.

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · Feb 7

So, for instance, farmers in my home state of Nebraska and across the country were the first and perhaps most protected beneficiaries as the US government artificially pushed up the price of their harvests by buying up way more than the market would demand.

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · Feb 7

However, I rarely ever agreed with the dominant narratives criticizing USAID because most lost sight of the fact that USAID, like all of US policy, is first and foremost set up for the benefit of the American people.

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · Feb 7

I work on using research, specifically the scientific method, to improve policy in general and programs in poor counties specifically. So until the last few weeks, most of my engagements with USAID involved me critiquing their work so to get better results for people living in poverty.

Gutting USAID threatens billions of dollars for U.S. farms, businesses

U.S. businesses that sold goods and services to USAID are in limbo, including American farms dealing in rice, wheat and soybeans.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · Feb 7

Listen to Presidents of both our political parties stretching back to JFK remind us why #USAID embodies the best of America as you watch the work in action around the world.

vimeo.com/1052680025?s...

Save USAID: The Greatest Agency You Never Knew

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was created by President Kennedy in 1961 in a spirit of optimism and global collaboration and as a…

vimeo.com