Steven David Levitt American economist Date of Birth: 29.05.1967 Country: USA

1. Steven Levitt: Award-Winning Economist and Crime Scholar
2. Early Life and Education
3. Academic Career
4. Best-Selling Publications
5. Crime Research
6. Impact of Legalized Abortion on Crime
7. Other Crime-Related Research
8. Political Research
9. Lawsuit and Controversy

Steven Levitt: Award-Winning Economist and Crime Scholar

Steven Levitt, an acclaimed American economist, has made significant contributions to the field of crime and law enforcement.

Early Life and Education

Born on May 29, 1967, Levitt received his Bachelor's degree in Economics from Harvard University in 1989. He earned a Ph.D. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1994.

Academic Career

Levitt is currently a Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago and Director of the Becker Center on Chicago Price Theory at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He has also served as an editor for the Journal of Political Economy.

Best-Selling Publications

Levitt is renowned for co-authoring the best-selling book "Freakonomics" (2005) with Stephen J. Dubner. This book explores unconventional economic principles using real-life examples. Its sequel, "Superfreakonomics" (2009), followed similarly.

Crime Research

Levitt's research focuses primarily on the economics of crime. His seminal paper, "An Economic Analysis of a Drug-Selling Gang's Finances" (2000), analyzed the ledger of a criminal gang to understand income distribution.

Impact of Legalized Abortion on Crime

One of Levitt's most controversial and widely cited papers, "The Impact of Legalized Abortion on Crime" (2001), asserted that the legalization of abortion in the United States led to a decline in crime rates. He argued that unwanted children are more likely to commit crimes than wanted children, and that reducing unplanned pregnancies through abortion resulted in fewer future offenders.

Other Crime-Related Research

Levitt has also conducted research on the effects of incarceration, police hiring practices, the availability of home security systems, and other crime-related topics.

Political Research

In addition to his work on crime, Levitt has investigated political campaign spending and the median voter theorem.

Lawsuit and Controversy

In 2006, economist John Lott Jr. filed a libel lawsuit against Levitt and HarperCollins Publishers over claims made in "Freakonomics" regarding the validity of Lott's research. However, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, finding no evidence of libel.