Steven David "Steve" Levitt is a distinguished American economist, celebrated for his innovative work on crime, particularly the relationship between legalized abortion and crime rates. Levitt has garnered widespread recognition, including being awarded the prestigious 2003 John Bates Clark Medal. He holds the position of William B. Ogden Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago, where he also serves as the Faculty Director and Co-Founder of the Center for Radical Innovation for Social Change. This center is notable for incubating the Data Science for Everyone coalition.

Levitt's editorial contributions include co-editing the Journal of Political Economy, published by the University of Chicago Press, until December 2007. In 2009, he co-founded TGG Group, a consultancy firm that bridges the gap between business and philanthropy. Levitt's influence extends beyond academia; in 2006, he was selected as one of Time magazine's "100 People Who Shape Our World". Furthermore, a 2011 survey ranked him as the fourth favorite living economist under the age of 60 among economics professors, following Paul Krugman, Greg Mankiw, and Daron Acemoglu.

Levitt is perhaps best known to the public as the co-author of the best-selling book Freakonomics and its sequels, alongside Stephen J. Dubner. These works have significantly contributed to his reputation as one of the most recognized economists among the general populace.