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Freakonomics Radio

Stitcher Podcasts

Discover the hidden side of everything with Stephen J. Dubner, co-author of the Freakonomics books. Each week, Freakonomics Radio tells you things you always thought you knew (but didn’t) and things you never thought you wanted to know (but do) — from the economics of sleep to how to become great at just about anything. Dubner speaks with Nobel laureates and provocateurs, intellectuals and entrepreneurs, and various other underachievers. The entire archive, going back to 2010, is available on the Stitcher podcast app and at freakonomics.com.

Discover the hidden side of everything with Stephen J. Dubner, co-author of the Freakonomics books. Each week, Freakonomics Radio tells you things you always thought you knew (but didn’t) and things you never thought you wanted to know (but do) — from the economics of sleep to how to become great at just about anything. Dubner speaks with Nobel laureates and provocateurs, intellectuals and entrepreneurs, and various other underachievers. The entire archive, going back to 2010, is available on the Stitcher podcast app and at freakonomics.com.

Location:

New York, NY

Description:

Discover the hidden side of everything with Stephen J. Dubner, co-author of the Freakonomics books. Each week, Freakonomics Radio tells you things you always thought you knew (but didn’t) and things you never thought you wanted to know (but do) — from the economics of sleep to how to become great at just about anything. Dubner speaks with Nobel laureates and provocateurs, intellectuals and entrepreneurs, and various other underachievers. The entire archive, going back to 2010, is available on the Stitcher podcast app and at freakonomics.com.

Language:

English

Contact:

160 Varick St. New York, NY 10013

Episodes

428. The Simple Economics of Saving the Amazon Rain Forest

7/29/2020
Everyone agrees that massive deforestation is an environmental disaster. But most of the standard solutions — scolding the Brazilians, invoking universal morality — ignore the one solution that might actually work

Duration:00:33:35

427. The Pros and Cons of Reparations

7/22/2020
Most Americans agree that racial discrimination has been, and remains, a big problem. But that is where the agreement ends.

Duration:00:42:59

426. Should America (and FIFA) Pay Reparations?

7/15/2020
The racial wealth gap in the U.S. is massive. We explore the causes, consequences, and potential solutions. Also: another story of discrimination and economic disparity, this one perpetrated by an international sporting authority. The first of a two-part series.

Duration:00:44:01

425. Remembrance of Economic Crises Past

7/8/2020
Christina Romer was a top White House economist during the Great Recession. As a researcher, she specializes in the Great Depression. She tells us what those disasters can (and can’t) teach us about the Covid crash.

Duration:00:53:36

424. How to Make Your Own Luck

7/1/2020
Before she decided to become a poker pro, Maria Konnikova didn’t know how many cards are in a deck. But she did have a Ph.D. in psychology, a brilliant coach, and a burning desire to know whether life is driven more by skill or chance. She found some answers in poker — and in her new book The Biggest Bluff, she’s willing to tell us everything she learned.

Duration:01:03:19

423. The Doctor Will Zoom You Now

6/24/2020
Thanks to the pandemic, the telehealth revolution we’ve been promised for decades has finally arrived. Will it stick? Will it cut costs — and improve outcomes? We ring up two doctors and, of course, an economist to find out.

Duration:00:55:56

422. Introducing "No Stupid Questions"

6/17/2020
In this new addition to the Freakonomics Radio Network, co-hosts Stephen Dubner and Angela Duckworth discuss the relationship between age and happiness. Also: does all creativity come from pain? New episodes of "No Stupid Questions" are released every Sunday evening — please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Duration:00:37:42

421. How to Prevent Another Great Depression

6/10/2020
Millions and millions are out of work, with some jobs never coming back. We speak with four economists — and one former presidential candidate — about the best policy options and the lessons (good and bad) from the past.

Duration:00:41:06

420. Which Jobs Will Come Back, and When?

6/3/2020
Covid-19 is the biggest job killer in a century. As the lockdown eases, what does re-employment look like? Who will be first and who last? Which sectors will surge and which will disappear? Welcome to the Great Labor Reallocation of 2020.

Duration:00:44:26

How to Make Meetings Less Terrible (Ep. 389 Rebroadcast)

5/27/2020
In the U.S. alone, we hold 55 million meetings a day. Most of them are woefully unproductive, and tyrannize our offices. The revolution begins now — with better agendas, smaller invite lists, and an embrace of healthy conflict.

Duration:00:46:36

419. 68 Ways to Be Better at Life

5/20/2020
The accidental futurist Kevin Kelly on why enthusiasm beats intelligence, how to really listen, and why the solution to bad technology is more technology.

Duration:00:40:25

418. What Will College Look Like in the Fall (and Beyond)?

5/13/2020
Three university presidents try to answer our listeners’ questions. The result? Not much pomp and a whole lot of circumstance.

Duration:00:59:15

417. Reasons to Be Cheerful

5/6/2020
Humans have a built-in “negativity bias,” which means we give bad news much more power than good. Would the Covid-19 crisis be an opportune time to reverse this tendency?

Duration:00:55:23

416. How Do You Reopen a Country?

4/29/2020
We speak with a governor, a former C.D.C. director, a pandemic forecaster, a hard-charging pharmacist, and a pair of economists — who say it’s all about the incentives. (Pandemillions, anyone?)

Duration:00:54:19

415. How Rahm Emanuel Would Run the World

4/26/2020
As a former top adviser to presidents Clinton and Obama, he believes in the power of the federal government. But as former mayor of Chicago, he says that cities are where real problems get solved — especially in the era of Covid-19.

Duration:00:50:00

414. Will Covid-19 Spark a Cold War (or Worse) With China?

4/22/2020
The U.S. spent the past few decades waiting for China to act like the global citizen it said it wanted to be. The waiting may be over.

Duration:01:00:53

413. Who Gets the Ventilator?

4/15/2020
Should a nurse or doctor who gets sick treating Covid-19 patients have priority access to a potentially life-saving healthcare device? Americans aren’t used to rationing in medicine, but it’s time to think about it. We consult a lung specialist, a bioethicist, and (of course) an economist.

Duration:00:51:18

412. What Happens When Everyone Stays Home to Eat?

4/8/2020
Covid-19 has shocked our food-supply system like nothing in modern history. We examine the winners, the losers, the unintended consequences — and just how much toilet paper one household really needs.

Duration:00:49:40

411. Is $2 Trillion the Right Medicine for a Sick Economy?

4/1/2020
Congress just passed the biggest aid package in modern history. We ask six former White House economic advisors and one U.S. Senator: Will it actually work? What are its best and worst features? Where does $2 trillion come from, and what are the long-term effects of all that government spending?

Duration:00:55:57

410. What Does Covid-19 Mean for Cities (and Marriages)?

3/25/2020
There are a lot of upsides to urban density — but viral contagion is not one of them. Also: a nationwide lockdown will show if familiarity really breeds contempt. And: how to help your neighbor.

Duration:00:43:12

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