Gary Becker

Economic analysis can illuminate social issues like drug use and crime.

The family is an economic unit optimizing utility.

Incentives matter in every sphere of human activity.

Education levels correlate with economic growth across nations.

The cost of crime includes not just punishment but also the foregone legitimate earnings.

Women’s labor force participation is driven by wage opportunities.

Economics is the study of choice under scarcity.

Human capital theory explains wage differentials better than discrimination alone.

Addiction is rational if future consumption affects current utility.

Public policy should focus on enhancing human capital formation.

The economics of discrimination shows it's costly to the discriminator.

Life is a series of investments in skills and health.

Markets allocate resources efficiently, even in non-monetary contexts.

Children are produced like goods, with costs and benefits.

The Nobel Prize validates the economic approach to social sciences.

Time spent on leisure is an economic choice.

Discrimination persists due to taste or statistical biases.

Economic models of crime predict higher rates when benefits exceed costs.

Human capital depreciates without maintenance, like machinery.

Marriage markets clear based on supply and demand for traits.