The study of social and economic inequality is one of the cornerstones of the Harris School of Public Policy. The goal of this specialization is to introduce students to modern theories of inequality and the empirical study of those theories. Topics include early childhood sources of income inequality, discrimination in the labor market and in other institutions, segregation in housing markets, the impact of migration on the measurement of inequality, and the roles of peer effects.

Application Process

The specialization is open to Harris Public Policy graduate students only. Please indicate your intent to pursue this specialization using the Harris Specialization Declaration Form.

For specialization registration questions, please reach out to harrisregistration@uchicago.edu.

Planning for the Specialization

For information on which quarter(s) each course will be offered, see the Harris Courses page and filter by specialization. For courses offered by other divisions, the typical quarter(s) offered has been indicated.

Specialization Requirements

The specialization requires completion of at least two courses from the “Required courses” list, along with two additional courses that come from either the “Required courses” list or the “Elective courses” list (four courses total). No required course substitutions are allowed.

Students must achieve at least a B- grade in each course.  No course may be taken on a pass/fail basis. The courses do not need to be taken in a particular order. Students should complete the formal signup process to indicate their intention to pursue the specialization.

Two Required Courses

Elective Courses

Specialization Contact

Dan Black, Specialization Director

Dan Black

Professor

Dan Black

Dan A. Black is a professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. His research focuses on labor economics and applied econometrics.