Becker Friedman Institute University of Chicago Courses

Choosing with Uncertainty - An Extra Slice of the Pie

Explore economic decision-making under uncertainty with Nobel Laureate Lars Hansen, addressing policymaker choices, public confidence in science, and potential overconfidence among economists.

• YouTube
• 43 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Economic Cheat Codes - How Game Theory Can Help You Win at Work, Love, and Life

Discover economic "cheat codes" using game theory to navigate workplace dynamics, decode performance reviews, and find your true market value in today's rigged economy.

• YouTube
• 36 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Liberalism and the Great Enrichment - Why Ideas, Not Capital, Made the Modern World

Explore how 18th-century liberalism sparked humanity's leap from $2 to $50 daily income through unleashing individual creativity rather than capital accumulation in this economic history analysis.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 4 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

AI in Charge - Large-Scale Experimental Evidence on Electric Vehicle Charging Demand

Discover how AI-managed EV charging tariffs achieved 42% peak demand reduction through large-scale field experiments, demonstrating significant cost savings and carbon emission reductions.

• YouTube
• 39 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Human Capital for Humans - An Accessible Introduction to the Economic Science of People

Discover how love drives economic growth and simple economic principles illuminate parenting, marriage, jobs, and schooling through Gary Becker's legendary insights.

• YouTube
• 56 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

The Transformation of Capitalism

Explore how giant firms have transformed capitalism from Adam Smith's vision, examining production concentration, ownership diffusion, and the paradoxical blend of centralization.

• YouTube
• 45 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Chat2Learn - Using Simple Conversation Prompts to Boost Early Childhood Development

Discover how Chat2Learn uses simple phone prompts to help parents boost their children's vocabulary and conversation skills, reducing early language gaps between socioeconomic groups.

• YouTube
• 51 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Hate the Game - Economic Cheat Codes for Life, Love, and Work

Discover how to apply game theory and behavioral economics to navigate major life decisions like career moves, relationships, housing, and financial choices using practical strategies.

• YouTube
• 36 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

The Economics of Early Childhood - Why the First Five Years Matter Most

Discover why the first five years of life are economically crucial through Nobel laureate James Heckman's insights on brain development, early intervention programs, and lifelong outcomes.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 45 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

The Law of Unintended Consequences - How Dobbs Changed Contraceptive Choices

Discover how the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision unexpectedly transformed contraceptive choices across America through analysis of millions of health insurance claims and data patterns.

• YouTube
• 23 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Finding Your Why at Work - The Economics of Purpose

Discover how self-reflection workshops boost workplace performance through UChicago research on 3,000 employees connecting personal purpose to daily work for better fulfillment and business outcomes.

• YouTube
• 34 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Human Capital for Humans - An Accessible Introduction to the Economic Science of People

Discover how human capital theory applies to everyday life through an accessible exploration of Gary Becker's Nobel Prize-winning economic insights on investing in people's skills and knowledge.

• YouTube
• 58 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Talk as Capital - AI-Powered Parenting Intervention to Reduce Early Childhood Skill Gaps

Discover how AI-powered messaging tools can reduce early childhood skill gaps by encouraging parent-child conversations that build language and socio-emotional development.

• YouTube
• 43 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Moving to Opportunity - Together? Gender Disparities in Career Outcomes When Couples Relocate

Discover how couple relocations create lasting gender wage gaps, with men's incomes rising 10-15% while women's earnings stagnate, based on UChicago economist Matt Notowidigdo's research.

• YouTube
• 32 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Economics for Everyone - Teaching the World to Think Like an Economist

Discover how to teach economic reasoning without complex math through classroom experiments, global outreach programs, and accessible methods that make economics relevant to everyday decisions.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 6 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video