The Center conducts and synthesizes wide-ranging research that explores the circumstances under which people develop the skills necessary to achieve their fullest potential and thrive in the current economy. This research, guided by Nobel laureate James J. Heckman, brings together teams of the best researchers from throughout the world to explore complex and interrelated aspects of how individuals acquire human capital and how that shapes economic outcomes.
The center actively disseminates its findings, equipping researchers, policymakers, and practitioners with the information necessary to promote equality of opportunity for even the most disadvantaged and vulnerable.
 
Emerging Insights

New research that takes a lifecycle approach to the study of human flourishing is presented and discussed. Join us.



CEHD Workshop Series
Policy Impact

From Chicago’s neighborhoods to rural China, our work measures program impact and helps shape effective policies.



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Get Involved

Our ambitious research agenda takes aim at the biggest questions about sources of economic inequality—and you can help.



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Featured Video: Rasmus Landersø Explains New Estimates of Social Mobility

HCEO member Rasmus Landersø of the ROCKWOOL Foundation explains a new way to measure social mobility across generations. It’s based on how parents use expectations of future income to decide how to invest in their children. By this measure, analysis of Danish income data shows we have been overestimating social mobility. Economic outcomes are more similar for individuals and their parents than previously found.

Learn more about the Denmark Project
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Notable News

Parents and Opportunity Are Key to Social Mobility

Families are crucial in promoting flourishing lives and social mobility, but their impact is often left out of policy debates, Director James J. Heckman argues in a Newsweek op ed.
Read the Op-Ed

CEHD Partners with Casa Central to Support Chicago Families

CEHD has selected Casa Central as its community partner in an ambitious home visiting program that will support Chicago families. The program aims to strengthen parents’ capacity to support their child’s early learning and skill development—the foundation for success in life.
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Intergenerational Mobility may be Substantially Overstated, New Study Shows

New research that refines measures of resources and well-being passed from parents to their children shows that current estimates of intergenerational mobility may be substantially overstated.
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Jamaican Early Childhood Stimulation Study Shows Benefits Last Through Age 31

A group of infants and toddlers in Jamaica who received developmental stimulation—via home visits and nutritional support—continue to show benefits from this intervention as adults three decades later, according to a new study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
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Featured Projects

At CEHD, creative and energetic graduate and undergraduate students, visiting scholars, and doctoral and postdoctoral fellows propel our research while honing their analytic skills and methods. A dedicated staff supports and disseminates their work. This team is based in two adjoining houses connected to the University of Chicago’s Saieh Hall for Economics.

Learn more about our Team

Learn more about the History of our Offices