Institution profile
University of Chicago
The Crime Lab, Becker Friedman Institute, Harris School of Public Policy, and the Booth School have led trials on policing, education, and behavioral economics.
8
Experiments
1998–2016
Year span
7 / 8
Positive findings
1
Null findings
Top policy areas
- Public Safety · 4
- Financial Services · 2
- Education · 1
- Public Health · 1
Experiments from University of Chicago
- Positive
Chicago STAR Scholarship — Dual Enrollment
City Colleges of Chicago / University of Chicago · Chicago, IL, USA · 2016 · Education
Effect: FAFSA completion: +5.4 pp; City Colleges enrollment: +3.2 pp; college persistence to year 2: +4.1 pp; effects largest for first-generation students
- Null
Clean Cookstove Adoption in Rural India
University of Chicago / Harvard / IPA · India (Orissa state) · 2016 · Public Health
Effect: Stove adoption high initially but usage fell to 50% after 1 year and 25% after 4 years; no significant improvement in health outcomes detected
- Positive
Becoming a Man (BAM) — Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
University of Chicago Crime Lab / Youth Guidance · Chicago, IL, USA · 2015 · Public Safety
Effect: Violent crime arrests: −44% during program year; school engagement: +14%; graduation rates: +19% in 4-year follow-up
- Positive
Chicago One Summer Plus — Summer Jobs and Violence Reduction
University of Chicago Crime Lab / City of Chicago · Chicago, IL, USA · 2012 · Public Safety
Effect: Violent crime arrests: −43% during program period; effect persisted at −13 months post-program (13 months after jobs ended); no significant effect on property crime arrests; program cost per violent crime arrest averted: approximately $1,100
- Positive
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Juvenile Offenders
University of Chicago Crime Lab · Chicago, IL, United States · 2012 · Public Safety
Effect: 44% reduction in violent crime arrests; school engagement improved
- Positive
Becoming a Man (BAM) — Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for At-Risk Youth
University of Chicago Crime Lab · Chicago, IL, USA · 2009 · Public Safety
Effect: Violent crime arrests: −44% to −50% during program year; total arrests: −30% to −35%; school engagement: significantly improved; graduation rates: +14% to +19% in follow-up. Effects on violence persisted for at least one year post-program. No significant effect on test scores.
- Positive
Save More Tomorrow (SMarT) Commitment Program
University of Chicago / Bernartzi & Thaler · United States · 2004 · Financial Services
Effect: SMarT participants: savings rate increased from 3.5% to 13.6% over 4 years; immediate advice group: from 4.4% to 8.8%; advice refusers: 6.6% (no change). SMarT had 78% retention rate vs. 26% for immediate increase group.
- Positive
401(k) Auto-Enrollment and Save More Tomorrow
University of Chicago / University of California Berkeley · Multiple US companies · 1998 · Financial Services
Effect: (1) Auto-enrollment: participation rate jumped from 49% to 86% within 3 months of hire; at 3–15 months, 86% of auto-enrolled workers still enrolled (vs. 65% who would have actively opted in). (2) SMarT: workers who joined pre-committed their savings rate from 3.5% to 13.6% over four plan-raise cycles — nearly quadrupling their savings rate vs. those who declined.