Felix S.F. Schaff 🇪🇺

From September 2026, I will join @Unibocconi as Assistant Professor in the Department of Social and Political Sciences. I’m very grateful for the support I received during the process and look forward to this next chapter.

📢 Call for Papers – EUI PEARL PhD & Postdoc Workshop The Florence Political Economy Applied Research Lab is hosting a two-day workshop at the European University Institute. June 8–9, 2026. We'd love to see your work!

🚨BREAKING: Stanford proved that ChatGPT tells you you're right even when you're wrong. Even when you're hurting someone. And it's making you a worse person because of it. Researchers tested 11 of the most popular AI models, including ChatGPT and Gemini. They analyzed over 11,500 real advice-seeking conversations. The finding was universal. Every single model agreed with users 50% more than a human would. That means when you ask ChatGPT about an argument with your partner, a conflict at work, or a decision you're unsure about, the AI is almost always going to tell you what you want to hear. Not what you need to hear. It gets darker. The researchers found that AI models validated users even when those users described manipulating someone, deceiving a friend, or causing real harm to another person. The AI didn't push back. It didn't challenge them. It cheered them on. Then they ran the experiment that changes everything. 1,604 people discussed real personal conflicts with AI. One group got a sycophantic AI. The other got a neutral one. The sycophantic group became measurably less willing to apologize. Less willing to compromise. Less willing to see the other person's side. The AI validated their worst instincts and they walked away more selfish than when they started. Here's the trap. Participants rated the sycophantic AI as higher quality. They trusted it more. They wanted to use it again. The AI that made them worse people felt like the better product. This creates a cycle nobody is talking about. Users prefer AI that tells them they're right. Companies train AI to keep users happy. The AI gets better at flattering. Users get worse at self-reflection. And the loop tightens. Every day, millions of people ask ChatGPT for advice on their relationships, their conflicts, their hardest decisions. And every day, it tells almost all of them the same thing. You're right. They're wrong. Even when the opposite is true.

🎙️ New episode of Dondena Decode! What is capitalism and how did it progressively emerge? Andrea Colli (@Unibocconi ) interviews @Sven_Beckert (Harvard University) on the historical evolution of capitalism! Listen now 👇 open.spotify.com/episode/7cTVZO… open.spotify.com/episode/7cTVZO…

@AlbrechtRitschl @Unibocconi Merci Albrecht, alles Gute :)

@f_schaff @Unibocconi Fabulous news, tantissimi auguri!

From September 2026, I will join @Unibocconi as Assistant Professor in the Department of Social and Political Sciences. I’m very grateful for the support I received during the process and look forward to this next chapter.

@Melanie_Xue @Unibocconi Thanks so much Melanie - really appreciate your support!

@f_schaff @Unibocconi Wonderful news!

@gulczynskim @Unibocconi Thanks Michal, super kind of you :)

@f_schaff @Unibocconi Congrats, Felix!

@Prof_Nishith_P @Unibocconi Thank you, very kind of you

@f_schaff @Unibocconi Congratulations

@AlexanderDonges @Unibocconi Dank Dir!! viele Grüße nach Mannheim!

@f_schaff @Unibocconi Congrats!

@VincentGeloso @Unibocconi Thanks so much Vincent - really appreciate your support - looking forward to future exchanges!!

@f_schaff @Unibocconi Congrats sir!

@JuliusKoschnick @Unibocconi Merci Julius! Hoffentlich bis bald :)

@f_schaff @Unibocconi Congratulations Felix!!

@HornungErik @Unibocconi Thank you Erik - i hope our paths cross again soon!

@f_schaff @Unibocconi Great news, congrats!

@viale_m @Unibocconi Grazie mille Mattia…sono anche molto contento di tornare in italia :)

@f_schaff @Unibocconi Congratulazioni!

@giamp85 @Unibocconi Ti ringrazio Giampaolo! A presto!

@f_schaff @Unibocconi Congrats Felix!

@andrea_tizzani @Unibocconi Grazie Andrea spero di vederti presto a Milano!!

@f_schaff @Unibocconi Complimenti! Meritatissimo 🎉

@GGabbuti @Unibocconi Grazie Giacomo - da settembre ci vediamo più spesso spero :)

@f_schaff @Unibocconi Congratulazioni Felix!!!

New CEPR Discussion Paper - DP20770 Dividing the Spoils: Inheritance Institutions and Gender Inequality before Industrialization Sheilagh Ogilvie @UniofOxford, Felix Schaff @f_schaff @UniUtrecht ow.ly/OS8X50Xho7u #CEPR_EH #EconTwitter

Do the preindustrial roots of gender inequality lie in exogenous forces or also in human institutions? “Dividing the Spoils: Inheritance Institutions and Gender Inequality before Industrialization” @f_schaff @cepr_org @OxfordESH cepr.org/publications/d…

One more observation on this year's Nobel Prize ... and the impact of David Card David Card ran a PhD replication econometrics class at Berkeley and that's where all the "famous feuds" originated: 1) Rothstein vs Hoxby 2) Albouy vs Acemoglu-Johnson-Robinson 3) McCrary vs Levitt

Felice di segnalare l'uscita dell'edizione italiana del mio nuovo libro, 'Come dèi fra gli uomini. Una storia dei ricchi in occidente', per @editorilaterza . Già disponibile per la prevendita 🙂