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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- Update frequency
- every 5 days
- Average duration
- 41 minutes
- Episodes
- 857
- Years Active
- 2010 - 2025
97. Lying to Ourselves
We rely on polls and surveys to tell us how people will behave in the future. Too bad they're completely unreliable.
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96. The Cobra Effect
When you want to get rid of a nasty pest, one obvious solution comes to mind: just offer a cash reward. But be careful -- because nothing backfires quite like a bounty.
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95. Why America’s Economic Growth May Be (Shh!) Over
Sure, we love our computers and all the rest of our digital toys. But when it comes to real economic gains, can we ever match old-school innovations like the automobile and electricity?
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94. The Tale of the $15 Tomato
Trying to go rustic by baking, brewing, and knitting at home can be terribly inefficient. And that's a wonderful thing.
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93. Why Online Poker Should Be Legal
The data show that poker is indeed a game of skill, not chance, and a Federal judge agrees. So why are players still being treated like criminals?
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92. Fear Thy Nature
What "Sleep No More" and the Stanford Prison Experiment tell us about who we really are.
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91. Can Selling Beer Cut Down on Public Drunkenness?
Binge drinking is a big problem at college football games. Oliver Luck -- father of No. 1 NFL pick Andrew, and the athletic director at West Virginia University -- had an unusual idea to help solve i…
90. How Deep Is the Shadow Economy?
What we know -- and don't know -- about the gazillions of dollars that never show up on anyone's books.
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89. There’s Cake in the Breakroom!
If you think working from home offers too many distractions, just think about what happens at the office.
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88. Freakonomics Goes to College, Part 2
College tends to make people happier, healthier, and wealthier. But how?
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87. The Season of Death
We know that summertime brings far too many fatal accidents. But you may be surprised if you dig into the numbers.
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86. Freakonomics Goes to College, Part 1
What's a college degree really worth these days?
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85. Olympian Economics
Do host cities really get the benefits their boosters promise, or are they just engaging in some fiscal gymnastics?
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84. Legacy of a Jerk
What happens to your reputation when you're no longer around to defend it?
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83. What's Wrong With Cash for Grades?
If we want our kids to thrive in school, maybe we should just pay them.
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82. Please Steal My Car
Levitt and Dubner answer your FREAK-quently Asked Questions about junk food, insurance, and how to make an economist happy.
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81. Star-Spangled Banter?
Once a week, the British Prime Minister goes before the House of Commons for a lightning round of hard questions. Should the U.S. give it a try?
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80. Riding the Herd Mentality
How using peer pressure -- and good, old-fashioned shame -- can push people to do the right thing.
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79. A Cheap Employee Is … a Cheap Employee
Paying workers as little as possible seems smart -- unless you can make more money by paying them more.
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78. You Eat What You Are, Part 2
To feed 7 billion people while protecting the environment, it would seem that going local is a no-brainer -- until you start looking at the numbers.
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