Freakonomics Radio

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

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. Join the Freakonomics Radio Plus membership program for weekly member-only episodes of Freakonomics Radio. You’ll also get every show in our network without ads. To sign up, visit our show page on Apple Podcasts or go to freakonomics.com/plus.

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Episodes

Why Are There So Many Bad Bosses? (Update)
Freakonomics Radio
People who are good at their jobs routinely get promoted into bigger jobs they’re bad at. We explain why firms keep producing incompetent managers — and why that’s unlikely to change. SOURCES: Ni
Apr 11, 2024
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0h 49m
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583. Are We Living Through the Most Revolutionary Period in History?
Freakonomics Radio
Fareed Zakaria says yes. But it’s not just political revolution — it’s economic, technological, even emotional. He doesn’t offer easy solutions but he does offer some hope. SOURCES: Fareed Zaka
Apr 4, 2024
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1h 2m
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Extra: How Much Do You Know About Immigration?
Freakonomics Radio
The political debates over immigration can generate a lot of fuzzy facts. We wanted to test Americans’ knowledge — so, to wrap up our special series on immigration , we called some Freakonomics Rad
Apr 1, 2024
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0h 27m
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582. Why Is Everyone Moving to Canada?
Freakonomics Radio
As the U.S. tries to fix its messy immigration system, our neighbor to the north is scooping up more talented newcomers every year. Are the Canadians stealing America’s bacon? (Part three of a three-
Mar 28, 2024
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0h 49m
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581. What Both Parties Get Wrong About Immigration
Freakonomics Radio
The U.S. immigration system is a massively complicated machine, with a lot of worn-out parts. How to fix it? Step one: Get hold of some actual facts and evidence. (We did this step for you.) (Part two
Mar 21, 2024
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0h 55m
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Extra: Madeleine Albright’s Warning on Immigration
Freakonomics Radio
She arrived in the U.S. as an 11-year-old refugee, then rose to become Secretary of State. Her views on immigration, nationalism, and borders, from this 2015 interview, are almost strangely appropriate
Mar 18, 2024
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0h 29m
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580. The True Story of America’s Supremely Messed-Up Immigration System
Freakonomics Radio
How did a nation of immigrants come to hate immigration? We start at the beginning, sort through the evidence, and explain why your grandfather was lying about Ellis Island. (Part one of a three-part s
Mar 14, 2024
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0h 55m
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579. Are You Caught in a Social Media Trap?
Freakonomics Radio
Economists have discovered an odd phenomenon: many people who use social media (even you, maybe?) wish it didn’t exist. But that doesn’t mean they can escape. SOURCES: Leonardo Bursztyn , professor
Mar 7, 2024
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0h 42m
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Extra: What Is Sportswashing — and Does It Work? (Update)
Freakonomics Radio
In ancient Rome, it was bread and circuses. Today, it’s a World Cup, an Olympics, and a new Saudi-backed golf league that’s challenging the PGA Tour. Can a sporting event really repair a country’
Mar 4, 2024
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1h 5m
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578. Water, Water Everywhere — But You Have to Stop and Think
Freakonomics Radio
What surprises lurk in our sewage? How did racist city planners end up saving Black lives? Why does Arizona grow hay for cows in Saudi Arabia? Three strange stories about the most fundamental substance
Feb 29, 2024
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0h 52m
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Is Google Getting Worse? (Update)
Freakonomics Radio
It used to feel like magic. Now it can feel like a set of cheap tricks. Is the problem with Google — or with us? And is Google Search finally facing a real rival, in the form of A.I.-powered “answe
Feb 22, 2024
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0h 56m
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Extra: Mr. Feynman Takes a Trip — But Doesn’t Fall
Freakonomics Radio
A wide-open conversation with three women who guided Richard Feynman through some big adventures at the Esalen Institute. (Part of our Feynman series .) SOURCES: Barbara Berg, friend of Richard Feynman
Feb 19, 2024
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0h 47m
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The Vanishing Mr. Feynman
Freakonomics Radio
In his final years, Richard Feynman's curiosity took him to some surprising places. We hear from his companions on the trips he took — and one he wasn’t able to. (Part three of a three-part series
Feb 15, 2024
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1h 1m
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The Brilliant Mr. Feynman
Freakonomics Radio
What happens when an existentially depressed and recently widowed young physicist from Queens gets a fresh start in California? We follow Richard Feynman out west, to explore his long and extremely fru
Feb 8, 2024
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0h 52m
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How the San Francisco 49ers Stopped Being Losers (Update)
Freakonomics Radio
They’re heading to the Super Bowl for the second time in five years. But back in 2018, they were coming off a long losing streak — and that’s the year we sat down with 49ers players, coaches, and
Feb 5, 2024
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1h 3m
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The Curious Mr. Feynman
Freakonomics Radio
From the Manhattan Project to the Challenger investigation, the physicist Richard Feynman loved to shoot down what he called “lousy ideas.” Today, the world is awash in lousy ideas — so maybe it�
Feb 1, 2024
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1h 2m
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574. “A Low Moment in Higher Education”
Freakonomics Radio
Michael Roth of Wesleyan University doesn’t hang out with other university presidents. He also thinks some of them have failed a basic test of good sense and decency. It’s time for a conversation a
Jan 25, 2024
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0h 46m
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5 Psychology Terms You’re Probably Misusing (Replay)
Freakonomics Radio
We all like to throw around terms that describe human behavior — “bystander apathy” and “steep learning curve” and “hard-wired.” Most of the time, they don’t actually mean what we think
Jan 22, 2024
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0h 49m
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573. Can Academic Fraud Be Stopped?
Freakonomics Radio
Probably not — the incentives are too strong. Scholarly publishing is a $28 billion global industry, with misconduct at every level. But a few reformers are gaining ground. (Part 2 of 2) SOURCES: Max
Jan 18, 2024
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1h 2m
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572. Why Is There So Much Fraud in Academia?
Freakonomics Radio
Some of the biggest names in behavioral science stand accused of faking their results. Last year, an astonishing 10,000 research papers were retracted. We talk to whistleblowers, reformers, and a co-au
Jan 11, 2024
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1h 14m
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Podcast mentions

Reviews

Episodes

Why Are There So Many Bad Bosses? (Update)

583. Are We Living Through the Most Revolutionary Period in History?

Extra: How Much Do You Know About Immigration?

582. Why Is Everyone Moving to Canada?

581. What Both Parties Get Wrong About Immigration

Extra: Madeleine Albright’s Warning on Immigration

580. The True Story of America’s Supremely Messed-Up Immigration System

579. Are You Caught in a Social Media Trap?

Extra: What Is Sportswashing — and Does It Work? (Update)

578. Water, Water Everywhere — But You Have to Stop and Think

Is Google Getting Worse? (Update)

Extra: Mr. Feynman Takes a Trip — But Doesn’t Fall

The Vanishing Mr. Feynman

The Brilliant Mr. Feynman

How the San Francisco 49ers Stopped Being Losers (Update)

The Curious Mr. Feynman

574. “A Low Moment in Higher Education”

5 Psychology Terms You’re Probably Misusing (Replay)

573. Can Academic Fraud Be Stopped?

572. Why Is There So Much Fraud in Academia?

Reviews

Why Are There So Many Bad Bosses? (Update)

583. Are We Living Through the Most Revolutionary Period in History?

Extra: How Much Do You Know About Immigration?

582. Why Is Everyone Moving to Canada?

581. What Both Parties Get Wrong About Immigration

Extra: Madeleine Albright’s Warning on Immigration

580. The True Story of America’s Supremely Messed-Up Immigration System

579. Are You Caught in a Social Media Trap?

Extra: What Is Sportswashing — and Does It Work? (Update)

578. Water, Water Everywhere — But You Have to Stop and Think

Is Google Getting Worse? (Update)

Extra: Mr. Feynman Takes a Trip — But Doesn’t Fall

The Vanishing Mr. Feynman

The Brilliant Mr. Feynman

How the San Francisco 49ers Stopped Being Losers (Update)

The Curious Mr. Feynman

574. “A Low Moment in Higher Education”

5 Psychology Terms You’re Probably Misusing (Replay)

573. Can Academic Fraud Be Stopped?

572. Why Is There So Much Fraud in Academia?