Book claims grit and persistence predict success better than test scores
GED holders match college-bound graduates on cognitive tests yet land near dropouts on earnings and marriage, which is why Tough puts grit and self-control ahead of IQ.
Culture · 1 source · Oct 9, 2026Read itThe journal
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About James Heckman
James Joseph Heckman is an American economist and Nobel laureate who serves as the Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago, where he is also a professor at the college, a professor at the Harris School of Public Policy, Director of the Center for the Economics of Human Development (CEHD), and co-director of Human Capital and Economic Opportunity (HCEO) Global Working Group. He is also a professor of law at the Law School, a senior research fellow at the American Bar Foundation, and a research associate at the NBER. He received the John Bates Clark Medal in 1983, and the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2000, which he shared with Daniel McFadden. He is known principally for his pioneering work in econometrics and microeconomics.
Everything about James Heckman →- Occupation
- economist, statistician, university teacher
- Citizenship
- United States
- Born
- April 19, 1944
- Website
- https://heckmanequation.org