Steven Levitt

Date of Birth: May 29, 1967

Zodiac Sign: Gemini

Biography

Steven David Levitt is a prominent American economist, renowned for his work in the field of microeconomics and his innovative approach to analyzing social issues. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Levitt earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Harvard University in 1989 and later received his Ph.D. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1994. He is best known for co-authoring the bestselling book “Freakonomics” with journalist Stephen J. Dubner, which explores the hidden side of everyday events and behaviors through economic theory. Levitt’s research often focuses on unconventional topics such as crime, corruption, and education, and he has made significant contributions to the development of empirical methods in economics. He is a professor at the University of Chicago and the co-director of the Becker Center on Chicago Price Theory.

5 Interesting Facts about Steven Levitt

1. Steven Levitt was awarded the John Bates Clark Medal in 2003, which is given to outstanding American economists under the age of 40.

2. Levitt’s research on the link between legalized abortion and crime rates sparked widespread debate and controversy.

3. He has been listed among Time magazine’s 100 People Who Shape Our World.

4. Levitt co-founded the consulting firm TGG Group, which focuses on applying economic principles to solve real-world problems.

5. He has a popular blog, “Freakonomics,” which he co-authors with Stephen Dubner, where they discuss various economic and social issues.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Steven Levitt

1. “Morality, it could be argued, represents the way that people would like the world to work—whereas economics represents how it actually does work.”

2. “Incentives are the cornerstone of modern life.”

3. “The conventional wisdom is often wrong.”

4. “Good ideas, as it turns out, are pretty worthless. Good execution is everything.”

5. “Knowing what to measure and how to measure it makes a complicated world much less so.”