iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Share where you can both their links and your commitment to another 250 years in pursuit of a more perfect union. No donation too small, no action too meek. Wait, Wait, Don't Stop Me! fundraisers.hakuapp.com/benjamin-kra...

fundraisers.hakuapp.com

WBEZ & Chicago Sun-Times

Friends, I've been so incredibly fortunate to spend so much of my life and career attempting lend a hand to our neighbors in countries far less fortunate than what we've had going on here in the ...

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Contribute what you can to help make up for all the money that has been pulled out from under public media. Listen when you can to the captivating stories and penetrating reporting that these institutions make possible.

fundraisers.hakuapp.com

WBEZ & Chicago Sun-Times

Friends, I've been so incredibly fortunate to spend so much of my life and career attempting lend a hand to our neighbors in countries far less fortunate than what we've had going on here in the ...

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

So on this page, I'll be sharing my own personal Pursuit of Happiness dedicated to safeguarding the same inalienable right for all of us. Join me over the next two months as I post updates from my practice runs - I'll aim to be as ridiculous as possible and will warmly welcome requests.

fundraisers.hakuapp.com

WBEZ & Chicago Sun-Times

Friends, I've been so incredibly fortunate to spend so much of my life and career attempting lend a hand to our neighbors in countries far less fortunate than what we've had going on here in the ...

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Inspired by the example of much braver and more creative friends in far off places, I want to both push back against the assaults on our great country while also spreading a bit of joy as a reminder of what we stand to lose.

fundraisers.hakuapp.com

WBEZ & Chicago Sun-Times

Friends, I've been so incredibly fortunate to spend so much of my life and career attempting lend a hand to our neighbors in countries far less fortunate than what we've had going on here in the ...

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

If you're feeling overwhelmed or ambivalent or confused, my experiences indicate that all those feelings are very much by design. The remedy requires greater transparency and accountability which are not possible without courageous reporting.

fundraisers.hakuapp.com

WBEZ & Chicago Sun-Times

Friends, I've been so incredibly fortunate to spend so much of my life and career attempting lend a hand to our neighbors in countries far less fortunate than what we've had going on here in the ...

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

In my travels, however, I've sadly also seen first hand what happens when governments take aim at journalists, manipulate the press, relentlessly lie to their people, stifle free speech, and demonize their fellow citizens.

fundraisers.hakuapp.com

WBEZ & Chicago Sun-Times

Friends, I've been so incredibly fortunate to spend so much of my life and career attempting lend a hand to our neighbors in countries far less fortunate than what we've had going on here in the ...

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Friends, I've been so incredibly fortunate to spend so much of my life and career attempting lend a hand to our neighbors in countries far less fortunate than what we've had going on here in the US.

fundraisers.hakuapp.com

WBEZ & Chicago Sun-Times

Friends, I've been so incredibly fortunate to spend so much of my life and career attempting lend a hand to our neighbors in countries far less fortunate than what we've had going on here in the ...

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Any thoughts on the plans for the Triumphal Arch in Washington, DC? Please share them with the National Park Service! parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm....

parkplanning.nps.gov

National Park Service - PEPC - Triumphal Arch - Section 106 Assessment of Effect and Draft Programmatic Agreement -Submit Comments

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

"Ayiti cheri pou jan m'adore w Pa gen anyen kap janm fè mwen kite w"

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

Total Factor Productivity? Willingness To Pay? Why The Face? Most of these and more now all together on Becker Friedman Institute for Economics' BFI Blackboard! bfi.uchicago.edu/bfi-blackboa...

bfi.uchicago.edu

BFI Blackboard | Becker Friedman Institute

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 17/10/2025

Spoiler Alert: By more fully accounting for quality improvements in the tech we all know and love, "rather than slipping into a 15 year productivity slump, true [Total Factor Productivity] growth rate in the manufacturing sector has averaged 0.6 per cent since 2009." www.ft.com/content/4efe...

bfi.uchicago.edu

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 17/10/2025

An economic 'who done it' with a graphic reveal popping in pink! The FT featured recent work from Chad Syverson, Ali Hortacsu, and co-authors trying to answer "Why Is Manufacturing Productivity Growth So Low?" bfi.uchicago.edu/wp-content/u...

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 17/10/2025

Shout out to @johnlist.bsky.social, @gubri.bsky.social and Sabrina Liu on this work! I'm personally particularly pumped that @beckerfriedman.bsky.social will be helping build on these findings!

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 17/10/2025

Do you have kids? Might college be a part of their future? As someone who tends to overthink and underact on parenting decisions, this write-up (and the underlying research) really hit home. money.com/saving-for-c...

money.com

Why You’re Sabotaging Your Child’s College Fund — Even When You Can Afford It

Many parents underestimate their 529 savings impact despite potential for college costs.

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

. . . we delivered more than 2,000 healthy babies into this world without losing a single mother - including once in the middle of an all staff meeting when a tap-tap came honking into the crowd of us gathered in the office parking-lot with a mom minutes from delivery.

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

I got to work quite closely with @doctorswithoutborders.org in Port-au-Prince when overseeing the J/P HRO hospitals. In addition to patching up a whole lot of people up from all of the dangers and tragedies that unfolded over those years . . .

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

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...

voxdev.org

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.

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

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...

wsj.com

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.

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

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...

youtube.com

Growth Academy 2024 Highlights

YouTube video by Growth Academy

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

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

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

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

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

"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.

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

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):

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

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"

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

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.

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

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!

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

We're all struggling to feel our way through the swamp of AI slop that is flooding the internet. Check out the latest from Alex Imas and Brian Jabarian testing AI detection tools bfi.uchicago.edu/insights/art... -- spoiler: some solid reasons to check out www.pangram.com if you haven't already.

bfi.uchicago.edu

Artificial Writing and Automated Detection | Becker Friedman Institute

Generative Artificial Intelligence tools have been adopted faster than any other technology on record, giving rise to writing that is either assisted or entirely completed by Large Language Models (LL...

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

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.

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

Today in #Haiti, nearly as many people have been displaced by the human disaster of #EconomicCollapse, failing #StateCapacity and #OrganizedCrime.

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

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.

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

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...

bbc.com

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.

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

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.

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

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...

lnkd.in

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

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

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.

lnkd.in

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

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

📢 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

lnkd.in

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

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

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

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

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

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

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

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

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

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

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...

axios.com

Exclusive: Anthropic mines its data on real AI use

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

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

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 · 07/02/2025

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

wapo.st

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.

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Ben Krause @benjaminkrause.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

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 · 07/02/2025

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 · 07/02/2025

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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