A handsome, well-appointed office at the University of Chicago. To the right, soft light filters through tall leaded-glass windows; to the left, an old-fashioned blackboard stands behind an impeccably tidy desk.

In the foreground sits John List, the Kenneth C. Griffin Distinguished Service Professor in Economics and the College, gazing straight at the camera. List wears a blue crewneck sweater, blue jeans, and a friendly, welcoming expression. “Is college worth it?” he asks, as driving electronic music plays. “Why do some inner-city schools fail, while others prosper? Do people really care about fairness? These are the kinds of questions that can be addressed”—a funky bass line comes in—“if you think like an economist.”

Read the full article in UChicago Magazine.