Freakonomics Radio show

Freakonomics Radio

Summary: Have fun discovering the hidden side of everything with host Stephen J. Dubner, co-author of the best-selling "Freakonomics” books. Each week, hear surprising conversations that explore the riddles of everyday life and the weird wrinkles of human nature—from cheating and crime to parenting and sports. Dubner talks with Nobel laureates and provocateurs, social scientists and entrepreneurs — and his “Freakonomics” co-author Steve Levitt. After just a few episodes, this podcast will have you too thinking like a Freak. Produced by WNYC Studios, home of other great podcasts such as “Radiolab," "Death, Sex & Money," and "On the Media."

Join Now to Subscribe to this Podcast
  • Visit Website
  • RSS
  • Artist: Stephen J. Dubner and WNYC Studios
  • Copyright: Stephen J. Dubner and WNYC

Podcasts:

 Have a Very Homo Economicus Christmas | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 15:10

Who better than an economist to help with your shopping list?

 The Things They Taught Me | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 23:22

College, at its best, is about learning to think. Stephen Dubner chats up three of his former professors who made the magic happen.

 Free-conomics | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 6:19

Economists are a notoriously self-interested bunch. But a British outfit called Pro Bono Economics is giving away its services to selected charities.

 I Consult, Therefore I Am | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 35:40

There are enough management consultants these days to form a small nation. But what do they actually do? And does it work?

 Mass Transit Hysteria | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 6:33

Adding more train and bus lines looks like an environmental slam dunk. Until you start to do the math.

 Our 100th Episode! | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 14:33

Turkey sex and chicken wings, selling souls and swapping organs, the power of the president and the price of wine: these are a few of our favorite things.

 How to Maximize Your Halloween Candy Haul | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 5:59

Is it as simple as going to the richest neighborhood you can find? Of course not ...

 We the Sheeple | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 23:25

Politicians tell voters exactly what they want to hear, even when it makes no sense. Which is pretty much all the time.

 Lying to Ourselves | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 5:45

We rely on polls and surveys to tell us how people will behave in the future. Too bad they're completely unreliable.

 The Cobra Effect | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 34:10

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.

 Why America’s Economic Growth May Be (Shh!) Over | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 5:46

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?

 The Tale of the $15 Tomato | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 9:24

Trying to go rustic by baking, brewing, and knitting at home can be terribly inefficient. And that's a wonderful thing.

 Why Online Poker Should Be Legal | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 5:25

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?

 Fear Thy Nature | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 37:15

What "Sleep No More" and the Stanford Prison Experiment tell us about who we really are.

 Can Selling Beer Cut Down on Public Drunkenness? | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 5:45

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 it.

Comments

Login or signup comment.