Freakonomics Radio
1,329 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 days ago - ★★★★★ - 29.3K ratingsFreakonomics co-author Stephen J. Dubner uncovers the hidden side of everything. Why is it safer to fly in an airplane than drive a car? How do we decide whom to marry? Why is the media so full of bad news? Also: things you never knew you wanted to know about wolves, bananas, pollution, search engines, and the quirks of human behavior.
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Episodes
How to Fix the Hot Mess of U.S. Healthcare
April 01, 2021 03:00 - 49 minutes - 45.7 MBMedicine has evolved from a calling into an industry, adept at dispensing procedures and pills (and gigantic bills), but less good at actual health. Most reformers call for big, bold action. What happens if, instead, you think small?
Policymaking Is Not a Science (Yet) (Ep. 405 Rebroadcast)
March 25, 2021 03:00 - 46 minutes - 42.3 MBWhy do so many promising solutions — in education, medicine, criminal justice, etc. — fail to scale up into great policy? And can a new breed of “implementation scientists” crack the code?
How Does New York City Keep Reinventing Itself? (Bonus)
March 21, 2021 11:00 - 52 minutes - 48.2 MBIn a word: networks. Once it embraced information as its main currency, New York was able to climb out of a deep fiscal (and psychic) pit. Will that magic trick still work after Covid? In this installment of the Freakonomics Radio Book Club, guest host Kurt Andersen interviews Thomas Dyja, author of New York, New York, New York: Four Decades of Success, Excess and Transformation.
455. Are You Ready for a Fresh Start?
March 18, 2021 03:00 - 42 minutes - 38.6 MBBehavioral scientists have been exploring if — and when — a psychological reset can lead to lasting change. We survey evidence from the London Underground, Major League Baseball, and New Year’s resolutions; we look at accidental fresh starts, forced fresh starts, and fresh starts that backfire. And we wonder: will the pandemic’s end provide the biggest fresh start ever?
Are You Ready for a Fresh Start?
March 18, 2021 03:00 - 42 minutes - 38.6 MBBehavioral scientists have been exploring if — and when — a psychological reset can lead to lasting change. We survey evidence from the London Underground, Major League Baseball, and New Year’s resolutions; we look at accidental fresh starts, forced fresh starts, and fresh starts that backfire. And we wonder: will the pandemic’s end provide the biggest fresh start ever?
Should Traffic Lights Be Abolished?
March 11, 2021 04:00 - 44 minutes - 41.1 MBAmericans are so accustomed to the standard intersection that we rarely consider how dangerous it can be — as well as costly, time-wasting, and polluting. Is it time to embrace the lowly, lovely roundabout?
454. Should Traffic Lights Be Abolished?
March 11, 2021 04:00 - 44 minutes - 41.2 MBAmericans are so accustomed to the standard intersection that we rarely consider how dangerous it can be — as well as costly, time-wasting, and polluting. Is it time to embrace the lowly, lovely roundabout?
A Rescue Plan for Black America
March 04, 2021 04:00 - 56 minutes - 52.1 MBNew York Times columnist Charles Blow argues that white supremacy in America will never fully recede, and that it’s time for Black people to do something radical about it. In The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto, he urges a “reverse migration” to the South to consolidate political power and create a region where it’s safe to be Black. (This is an episode of the Freakonomics Radio Book Club.)
453. A Rescue Plan for Black America
March 04, 2021 04:00 - 56 minutes - 52.1 MBNew York Times columnist Charles Blow argues that white supremacy in America will never fully recede, and that it’s time for Black people to do something radical about it. In The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto, he urges a “reverse migration” to the South to consolidate political power and create a region where it’s safe to be Black. (This is an episode of the Freakonomics Radio Book Club.)
Am I Boring You? (Ep. 225 Rebroadcast)
February 25, 2021 04:00 - 39 minutes - 36 MBResearchers are trying to figure out who gets bored — and why — and what it means for ourselves and the economy. But maybe there’s an upside to boredom?
452. Jeff Immelt Knows He Let You Down
February 18, 2021 04:00 - 45 minutes - 42.1 MBNot so long ago, G.E. was the most valuable company in the world, a conglomerate that included everything from light bulbs and jet engines to financial services and The Apprentice. Now it’s selling off body parts to survive. What does the C.E.O. who presided over the decline have to say for himself?
Jeff Immelt Knows He Let You Down
February 18, 2021 04:00 - 45 minutes - 42 MBNot so long ago, G.E. was the most valuable company in the world, a conglomerate that included everything from light bulbs and jet engines to financial services and The Apprentice. Now it’s selling off body parts to survive. What does the C.E.O. who presided over the decline have to say for himself?
Can I Ask You a Ridiculously Personal Question?
February 11, 2021 04:00 - 42 minutes - 39.2 MBMost of us are are afraid to ask sensitive questions about money, sex, politics, etc. New research shows this fear is largely unfounded. Time for some interesting conversations!
451. Can I Ask You a Ridiculously Personal Question?
February 11, 2021 04:00 - 42 minutes - 39.3 MBMost of us are are afraid to ask sensitive questions about money, sex, politics, etc. New research shows this fear is largely unfounded. Time for some interesting conversations!
How to Be Better at Death
February 04, 2021 04:00 - 57 minutes - 52.9 MBCaitlin Doughty is a mortician who would like to put herself out of business. Our corporate funeral industry, she argues, has made us forget how to offer our loved ones an authentic sendoff. Doughty is the author of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons From the Crematory. In this installment of the Freakonomics Radio Book Club, she is interviewed by guest host Maria Konnikova.
450. How to Be Better at Death
February 04, 2021 04:00 - 57 minutes - 52.9 MBCaitlin Doughty is a mortician who would like to put herself out of business. Our corporate funeral industry, she argues, has made us forget how to offer our loved ones an authentic sendoff. Doughty is the author of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons From the Crematory. In this installment of the Freakonomics Radio Book Club, she is interviewed by guest host Maria Konnikova.
449. How to Fix the Incentives in Cancer Research
January 28, 2021 04:00 - 44 minutes - 40.7 MBFor all the progress made in fighting cancer, it still kills 10 million people a year, and some types remain especially hard to detect and treat. Pancreatic cancer, for instance, is nearly always fatal. A new clinical-trial platform could change that by aligning institutions that typically compete against one another.
How to Fix the Incentives in Cancer Research
January 28, 2021 04:00 - 44 minutes - 40.6 MBFor all the progress made in fighting cancer, it still kills 10 million people a year, and some types remain especially hard to detect and treat. Pancreatic cancer, for instance, is nearly always fatal. A new clinical-trial platform could change that by aligning institutions that typically compete against one another.
448. The Downside of Disgust
January 21, 2021 04:00 - 45 minutes - 41.9 MBIt’s a powerful biological response that has preserved our species for millennia. But now it may be keeping us from pursuing strategies that would improve the environment, the economy, even our own health. So is it time to dial down our disgust reflex? You can help fix things — as Stephen Dubner does in this episode — by chowing down on some delicious insects.
The Downside of Disgust
January 21, 2021 04:00 - 45 minutes - 41.9 MBIt’s a powerful biological response that has preserved our species for millennia. But now it may be keeping us from pursuing strategies that would improve the environment, the economy, even our own health. So is it time to dial down our disgust reflex? You can help fix things — as Stephen Dubner does in this episode — by chowing down on some delicious insects.
How Much Do We Really Care About Children?
January 14, 2021 04:00 - 47 minutes - 43.8 MBThey can’t vote or hire lobbyists. The policies we create to help them aren’t always so helpful. Consider the car seat: parents hate it, the safety data are unconvincing, and new evidence suggests an unintended consequence that is as anti-child as it gets.
447. How Much Do We Really Care About Children?
January 14, 2021 04:00 - 47 minutes - 43.9 MBThey can’t vote or hire lobbyists. The policies we create to help them aren’t always so helpful. Consider the car seat: parents hate it, the safety data are unconvincing, and new evidence suggests an unintended consequence that is as anti-child as it gets.
“We Get All Our Great Stuff from Europe — Including Witch Hunting.”
January 07, 2021 04:00 - 40 minutes - 37 MBWe’ve collected some of our favorite moments from People I (Mostly) Admire, the latest show from the Freakonomics Radio Network. Host Steve Levitt seeks advice from scientists and inventors, memory wizards and basketball champions — even his fellow economists. He also asks about quitting, witch trials, and whether we need a Manhattan Project for climate change.
446. “We Get All Our Great Stuff from Europe — Including Witch Hunting.”
January 07, 2021 04:00 - 40 minutes - 37.1 MBWe’ve collected some of our favorite moments from People I (Mostly) Admire, the latest show from the Freakonomics Radio Network. Host Steve Levitt seeks advice from scientists and inventors, memory wizards and basketball champions — even his fellow economists. He also asks about quitting, witch trials, and whether we need a Manhattan Project for climate change.
Trust Me (Ep. 266 Rebroadcast)
December 31, 2020 04:00 - 30 minutes - 28.4 MBSocieties where people trust one another are healthier and wealthier. In the U.S. (and the U.K. and elsewhere), social trust has been falling for decades — in part because our populations are more diverse. What can we do to fix it?
445. Why Do We Seek Comfort in the Familiar?
December 24, 2020 04:00 - 36 minutes - 34 MBIn this episode of No Stupid Questions — a Freakonomics Radio Network show launched earlier this year — Stephen Dubner and Angela Duckworth debate why we watch, read, and eat familiar things during a crisis, and if it might in fact be better to try new things instead. Also: is a little knowledge truly as dangerous as they say?
Why Do We Seek Comfort in the Familiar?
December 24, 2020 04:00 - 36 minutes - 33.9 MBIn this episode of No Stupid Questions — a Freakonomics Radio Network show launched earlier this year — Stephen Dubner and Angela Duckworth debate why we watch, read, and eat familiar things during a crisis, and if it might in fact be better to try new things instead. Also: is a little knowledge truly as dangerous as they say?
444. How Do You Cure a Compassion Crisis?
December 17, 2020 04:00 - 48 minutes - 44.9 MBPatients in the U.S. healthcare system often feel they’re treated with a lack of empathy. Doctors and nurses have tragically high levels of burnout. Could fixing the first problem solve the second? And does the rest of society need more compassion too?
How Do You Cure a Compassion Crisis?
December 17, 2020 04:00 - 48 minutes - 44.8 MBPatients in the U.S. healthcare system often feel they’re treated with a lack of empathy. Doctors and nurses have tragically high levels of burnout. Could fixing the first problem solve the second? And does the rest of society need more compassion too?
A Sneak Peek at Biden’s Top Economist
December 10, 2020 04:00 - 43 minutes - 39.7 MBThe incoming president argues that the economy and the environment are deeply connected. This is reflected in his choice for National Economic Council director — Brian Deese, a climate-policy wonk and veteran of the no-drama-Obama era. But don’t mistake Deese’s lack of drama for a lack of intensity.
443. A Sneak Peek at Biden’s Top Economist
December 10, 2020 04:00 - 43 minutes - 39.8 MBThe incoming president argues that the economy and the environment are deeply connected. This is reflected in his choice for National Economic Council director — Brian Deese, a climate-policy wonk and veteran of the no-drama-Obama era. But don’t mistake Deese’s lack of drama for a lack of intensity.
PLAYBACK (2015): Could the Next Brooklyn Be ... Las Vegas?!
December 06, 2020 10:00 - 57 minutes - 52.4 MBTony Hsieh, the longtime C.E.O. of Zappos, was an iconoclast and a dreamer. Five years ago, we sat down with him around a desert campfire to talk about those dreams. Hsieh died recently from injuries sustained in a house fire; he was 46.
442. Is it Too Late for General Motors to Go Electric?
December 03, 2020 04:00 - 44 minutes - 41.1 MBG.M. produces more than 20 times as many cars as Tesla, but Tesla is worth nearly 10 times as much. Mary Barra, the C.E.O. of G.M., is trying to fix that. We speak with her about the race toward an electrified (and autonomous) future, China and Trump, and what it’s like to be the “fifth-most powerful woman in the world.”
Is it Too Late for General Motors to Go Electric?
December 03, 2020 04:00 - 44 minutes - 41 MBG.M. produces more than 20 times as many cars as Tesla, but Tesla is worth nearly 10 times as much. Mary Barra, the C.E.O. of G.M., is trying to fix that. We speak with her about the race toward an electrified (and autonomous) future, China and Trump, and what it’s like to be the “fifth-most powerful woman in the world.”
Does Advertising Actually Work? (Part 2: Digital)
November 26, 2020 04:00 - 48 minutes - 44.4 MBGoogle and Facebook are worth a combined $2 trillion, with the vast majority of their revenue coming from advertising. In our previous episode, we learned that TV advertising is much less effective than the industry says. Is digital any better? Some say yes, some say no — and some say we’re in a full-blown digital-ad bubble.
441. Does Advertising Actually Work? (Part 2: Digital)
November 26, 2020 04:00 - 48 minutes - 44.4 MBGoogle and Facebook are worth a combined $2 trillion, with the vast majority of their revenue coming from advertising. In our previous episode, we learned that TV advertising is much less effective than the industry says. Is digital any better? Some say yes, some say no — and some say we’re in a full-blown digital-ad bubble.
440. Does Advertising Actually Work? (Part 1: TV)
November 19, 2020 04:00 - 37 minutes - 34.2 MBCompanies around the world spend more than half-a-trillion dollars each year on ads. The ad industry swears by its efficacy — but a massive new study tells a different story.
Does Advertising Actually Work? (Part 1: TV)
November 19, 2020 04:00 - 37 minutes - 34.2 MBCompanies around the world spend more than half-a-trillion dollars each year on ads. The ad industry swears by its efficacy — but a massive new study tells a different story.
439. Please Get Your Noise Out of My Ears
November 12, 2020 04:00 - 49 minutes - 45.6 MBThe modern world overwhelms us with sounds we didn’t ask for, like car alarms and cell-phone “halfalogues.” What does all this noise cost us in terms of productivity, health, and basic sanity?
Please Get Your Noise Out of My Ears
November 12, 2020 04:00 - 49 minutes - 45.6 MBThe modern world overwhelms us with sounds we didn’t ask for, like car alarms and cell-phone “halfalogues.” What does all this noise cost us in terms of productivity, health, and basic sanity?
438. How to Succeed by Being Authentic (Hint: Carefully)
November 05, 2020 04:00 - 47 minutes - 43.7 MBJohn Mackey, the C.E.O. of Whole Foods, has learned the perils of speaking his mind. But he still says what he thinks about everything from “conscious leadership” to the behavioral roots of the obesity epidemic. He also argues for a style of capitalism and politics that at this moment seems like a fantasy. What does he know that we don’t?
How to Succeed by Being Authentic (Hint: Carefully)
November 05, 2020 04:00 - 47 minutes - 43.6 MBJohn Mackey, the C.E.O. of Whole Foods, has learned the perils of speaking his mind. But he still says what he thinks about everything from “conscious leadership” to the behavioral roots of the obesity epidemic. He also argues for a style of capitalism and politics that at this moment seems like a fantasy. What does he know that we don’t?
Why the Left Had to Steal the Right’s Dark-Money Playbook
October 31, 2020 03:55 - 45 minutes - 41.6 MBThe sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh spent years studying crack dealers, sex workers, and the offspring of billionaires. Then he wandered into an even stranger world: social media. He spent the past five years at Facebook and Twitter. Now that he’s back in the real world, he’s here to tell us how the digital universe really works. In this pilot episode of a new podcast, Venkatesh interviews the progressive political operative Tara McGowan about her digital successes with the Obama campaign, her ...
437. Many Businesses Thought They Were Insured for a Pandemic. They Weren’t.
October 29, 2020 03:00 - 40 minutes - 37.5 MBA fine reading of most policies for “business interruption” reveals that viral outbreaks aren’t covered. Some legislators are demanding that insurance firms pay up anyway. Is it time to rethink insurance entirely?
427. Many Businesses Thought They Were Insured for a Pandemic. They Weren’t.
October 29, 2020 03:00 - 40 minutes - 56.1 MBA fine reading of most policies for “business interruption” reveals that viral outbreaks aren’t covered. Some legislators are demanding that insurance firms pay up anyway. Is it time to rethink insurance entirely?
Many Businesses Thought They Were Insured for a Pandemic. They Weren’t.
October 29, 2020 03:00 - 40 minutes - 37.5 MBA fine reading of most policies for “business interruption” reveals that viral outbreaks aren’t covered. Some legislators are demanding that insurance firms pay up anyway. Is it time to rethink insurance entirely?
436. Forget Everything You Know About Your Dog
October 22, 2020 03:00 - 57 minutes - 52.9 MBAs beloved and familiar as they are, we rarely stop to consider life from the dog’s point of view. That stops now. In this latest installment of the Freakonomics Radio Book Club, we discuss Inside of a Dog with the cognitive scientist (and dog devotee) Alexandra Horowitz.
Forget Everything You Know About Your Dog
October 22, 2020 03:00 - 57 minutes - 52.9 MBAs beloved and familiar as they are, we rarely stop to consider life from the dog’s point of view. That stops now. In this latest installment of the Freakonomics Radio Book Club, we discuss Inside of a Dog with the cognitive scientist (and dog devotee) Alexandra Horowitz.
435. Why Are Cities (Still) So Expensive?
October 15, 2020 03:00 - 44 minutes - 41.3 MBIt isn’t just supply and demand. We look at the complicated history and skewed incentives that make “affordable housing” more punch line than reality in cities from New York and San Francisco to Flint, Michigan (!).
Why Are Cities (Still) So Expensive?
October 15, 2020 03:00 - 44 minutes - 41.2 MBIt isn’t just supply and demand. We look at the complicated history and skewed incentives that make “affordable housing” more punch line than reality in cities from New York and San Francisco to Flint, Michigan (!).