2026 Wildavsky Lecture: Jens Ludwig

The Aaron Wildavsky Forum for Public Policy was established to honor the Goldman School’s founding dean Aaron Wildavsky’s memory and his contributions to the field of public policy. Over the years, the Forum has sponsored lectures by impressive researchers and thinkers such as Mary Bassett, Larry Summers, William Julius Wilson, Laura D’Andrea Tyson, Jim Heckman, Robert Frank, and Uwe Reinhardt.

The 2026 Wildavsky Lecture will feature Jens Ludwig, author of the 2025 book Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence.

What if everything we thought about gun violence was wrong? Economist Jens Ludwig spent nearly two decades on Chicago’s South Side studying why shootings happen—and how they can be prevented. Drawing on immersive fieldwork and decades of research, Ludwig demonstrates how targeted interventions in the right moments and places can save lives.

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For disability-related accommodations, please contact the access coordinator in advance of the event: Elisabeth Mart, elismart@berkeley.edu