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. To get every show in our network without ads and a monthly bonus episode of Freakonomics Radio, sign up for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts at http://apple.co/SiriusXM.
804 episodes transcribedCorporations around the world are consolidating like never before. If it’s good enough for companies, why not countries? Welcome to Amexico!
A lot! “The Economics of the Undead” is a book about dating strategy, job creation, and whether there should be a legal market for blood.
The debut of a live game show from Freakonomics Radio, with judges Malcolm Gladwell, Ana Gasteyer, and David Paterson.
The Norwegian government parleys massive oil wealth into huge subsidies for electric cars. Is that carbon laundering or just pragmatic environmentalis...
The science of what works -- and doesn't work -- in fund-raising
A team of economists has been running the numbers on the U.N.'s development goals. They have a different view of how those billions of dollars should...
Markets are hardly perfect, but the results can be ugly when you try to subvert them.
What does it mean to pursue something that everyone else thinks is nuts? And what does it take to succeed?
Doctors, chefs, and other experts are much more likely than the rest of us to buy store-brand products. What do they know that we don’t?
Airbnb, Uber, Lyft, EatWith, and other companies in the “sharing economy” are practically daring government regulators to shut them down. The regulato...
The online universe doesn't have nearly as many rules, or rulemakers, as the real world. Discuss.
There ain't no such thing as a free parking spot. Somebody has to pay for it -- and that somebody is everybody.
A look at whether spite pays -- and if it even exists.
It's awkward, random, confusing -- and probably discriminatory too.
A kid's name can tell us something about his parents -- their race, social standing, even their politics. But is your name really your destiny?
It’s a hard question to answer, but we do our best.
Educational messaging looks good on paper but kids don’t respond to it -- and adults aren’t much better.
It isn’t easy to separate the guilty from the innocent, but a clever bit of game theory can help.
Takeru Kobayashi revolutionized the sport of competitive eating. What can the rest of us learn from his breakthrough?
Dubner and Levitt answer reader questions in this first installment of the “Think Like a Freak” Book Club.
