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Freakonomics Radio - Podcast

Freakonomics Radio

Freakonomics 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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Society & Culture Documentary
Update frequency
every 5 days
Average duration
41 minutes
Episodes
857
Years Active
2010 - 2025
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210. Is It Okay for Restaurants to Racially Profile Their Employees?

210. Is It Okay for Restaurants to Racially Profile Their Employees?

We seem to have decided that ethnic food tastes better when it's served by people of that ethnicity (or at least something close). Does this make sense -- and is it legal?

00:53:56  |   Thu 25 Jun 2015
209. Make Me a Match

209. Make Me a Match

Sure, markets generally work well. But for some transactions -- like school admissions and organ transplants -- money alone can't solve the problem. That's when you need a market-design wizard like A…

00:50:22  |   Thu 18 Jun 2015
208. Making Sex Offenders Pay -- and Pay and Pay and Pay

208. Making Sex Offenders Pay -- and Pay and Pay and Pay

Sure, sex crimes are horrific, and the perpetrators deserve to be punished harshly. But society keeps exacting costs -- out-of-pocket and otherwise -- long after the prison sentence has been served.

00:35:29  |   Thu 11 Jun 2015
207. Should We Really Behave Like Economists Say We Do?

207. Should We Really Behave Like Economists Say We Do?

One man's attempt to remake his life in the mold of homo economicus.

00:54:47  |   Thu 04 Jun 2015
Tell Me Something I Don’t Know (Rebroadcast)

Tell Me Something I Don’t Know (Rebroadcast)

The debut of a live game show from Freakonomics Radio, with judges Malcolm Gladwell, Ana Gasteyer, and David Paterson.

01:02:56  |   Thu 28 May 2015
Failure Is Your Friend (Rebroadcast)

Failure Is Your Friend (Rebroadcast)

In which we argue that failure should not only be tolerated but celebrated.

00:31:48  |   Thu 21 May 2015
206. Ten Years of Freakonomics

206. Ten Years of Freakonomics

Dubner and Levitt are live onstage at the 92nd Street Y in New York to celebrate their new book "When to Rob a Bank" -- and a decade of working together.

00:46:02  |   Thu 14 May 2015
205. Could the Next Brooklyn Be ... Las Vegas?!

205. Could the Next Brooklyn Be ... Las Vegas?!

Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh has a wild vision and the dollars to try to make it real. But it still might be the biggest gamble in town.

00:55:16  |   Thu 07 May 2015
Think Like a Child (Rebroadcast)

Think Like a Child (Rebroadcast)

When it comes to generating ideas and asking questions it can be really fruitful to have the mentality of an eight year old.

00:29:43  |   Thu 30 Apr 2015
204. Nate Silver Says: “Everyone Is Kind of Weird”

204. Nate Silver Says: “Everyone Is Kind of Weird”

America's favorite statistical guru answers our FREAK-quently Asked Questions, and more.

00:39:08  |   Thu 23 Apr 2015
203. Diamonds Are a Marriage Counselor’s Best Friend

203. Diamonds Are a Marriage Counselor’s Best Friend

It may seem like winning a valuable diamond is an unalloyed victory. It's not. It's not even clear that a diamond is so valuable.

00:40:29  |   Thu 16 Apr 2015
202. How Many Doctors Does It Take to Start a Healthcare Revolution?

202. How Many Doctors Does It Take to Start a Healthcare Revolution?

The practice of medicine has been subsumed by the business of medicine. This is great news for healthcare shareholders -- and bad news for pretty much everyone else.

00:53:55  |   Thu 09 Apr 2015
201. How Do We Know What Really Works in Healthcare?

201. How Do We Know What Really Works in Healthcare?

A lot of the conventional wisdom in medicine is nothing more than hunch or wishful thinking. A new breed of data detectives is hoping to change that.

00:41:52  |   Thu 02 Apr 2015
The Perfect Crime (Rebroadcast)

The Perfect Crime (Rebroadcast)

If you are driving and kill a pedestrian, there's a good chance you'll barely be punished. Why?

00:29:35  |   Thu 26 Mar 2015
What You Don’t Know About Online Dating (Rebroadcast)

What You Don’t Know About Online Dating (Rebroadcast)

Thick markets, thin markets, and the triumph of attributes over compatibility.

00:40:11  |   Thu 19 Mar 2015
200. When Willpower Isn’t Enough

200. When Willpower Isn’t Enough

Sure, we all want to make good personal decisions, but it doesn't always work out. That's where "temptation bundling" comes in.

00:33:03  |   Thu 12 Mar 2015
199. This Idea Must Die

199. This Idea Must Die

Every year, Edge.org asks its salon of big thinkers to answer one big question. This year's question borders on heresy: what scientific idea is ready for retirement?

00:54:33  |   Thu 05 Mar 2015
198. The Maddest Men of All

198. The Maddest Men of All

Advertisers have always been adept at manipulating our emotions. Now they're using behavioral economics to get even better.

00:32:56  |   Thu 26 Feb 2015
197. Hacking the World Bank

197. Hacking the World Bank

Jim Yong Kim has an unorthodox background for a World Bank president — and his reign thus far is just as unorthodox.

00:36:00  |   Thu 19 Feb 2015
196. Is There a Better Way to Fight Terrorism?

196. Is There a Better Way to Fight Terrorism?

The White House is hosting an anti-terror summit next week. Summits being what they are, we try to offer some useful advice.

00:42:48  |   Thu 12 Feb 2015
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