156. A Solution to America’s Gun Problem

Jens Ludwig has an idea for how to fix America’s gun violence problem — and it starts by rejecting conventional wisdom from both sides of the political aisle.

SOURCES:Jens Ludwig • , professor of economics at the University of Chicago and director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab.

RESOURCES:Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence, • by Jens Ludwig (2025). • " Scope Challenges to Social Impact • ," by Monica Bhatt, Jonathan Guryan, Jens Ludwig, and Anuj Shah (National Bureau of Economic Research, • 2021). • " Citywide cluster randomized trial to restore blighted vacant land and its effects on violence, crime, and fear • ," by Charles Branas, Eugenia South, Michelle Kondo, Bernadette Hohl, Philippe Bourgois, Douglas Wiebe, and John MacDonald (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, • 2018). • " Thinking, Fast and Slow? Some Field Experiments to Reduce Crime and Dropout in Chicago • ," by Sara Heller, Anuj Shah, Jonathan Guryan, Jens Ludwig, Sendhil Mullainathan, and Harold Pollack (Quarterly Journal of Economics, • 2016). Thinking, Fast and Slow, • by Daniel Kahneman (2013). • " Homicide and Suicide Rates Associated With Implementation of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act • ," by Jens Ludwig and Philip Cook (Journal of the American Medical Association, • 2000). The Death and Life of Great American Cities, • by Jane Jacobs (1992). The University of Chicago Crime Lab • . • " Becoming a Man • " (University of Chicago Crime Lab).

EXTRAS: • " Do the Police Have a Management Problem? • " by Freakonomics Radio • (2023). • " From prison to Ph.D, this activist fights for peace in Chicago • ," by Kenya Downs (PBS News, • 2016).