Freakonomics Radio
By Dubner Productions and Stitcher
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Description
Discover the hidden side of everything with Stephen J. Dubner, co-author of the Freakonomics books. Each week, Freakonomics Radio tells you things you always thought you knew (but didn’t) and things you never thought you wanted to know (but do) — from the economics of sleep to how to become great at just about anything. Dubner speaks with Nobel laureates and provocateurs, intellectuals and entrepreneurs, and various other underachievers. Special features include series like “The Secret Life of a C.E.O.” as well as a live game show, “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know.”
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1 |
Clean359. Should America Be Run by … Trader Joe’s? | The quirky little grocery chain with California roots and German ownership has a lot to teach all of us about choice architecture, efficiency, frugality, collaboration, and team spirit. | 11/28/2018 | Free | View in iTunes |
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2 |
CleanThere’s a War on Sugar. Is It Justified? (Ep. 285 Rebroadcast) | Some people argue that sugar should be regulated, like alcohol and tobacco, on the grounds that it’s addictive and toxic. How much sense does that make? We hear from a regulatory advocate, an evidence-based skeptic, a former F.D.A. commissioner — and the organizers of Milktoberfest. | 11/21/2018 | Free | View in iTunes |
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3 |
Clean358. Yes, the Open Office Is Terrible — But It Doesn’t Have to Be | It began as a post-war dream for a more collaborative and egalitarian workplace. It has evolved into a nightmare of noise and discomfort. Can the open office be saved, or should we all just be working from home? | 11/14/2018 | Free | View in iTunes |
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4 |
Clean357. Can an Industrial Giant Become a Tech Darling? | The Ford Motor Company is ditching its legacy sedans, doubling down on trucks, and trying to steer its stock price out of a long skid. But C.E.O. Jim Hackett has even bigger plans: to turn a century-old automaker into the nucleus of a “transportation operating system.” Is Hackett just whistling past the graveyard, or does he see what others can’t? | 11/7/2018 | Free | View in iTunes |
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5 |
Clean356. America’s Hidden Duopoly | We all know our political system is “broken” — but what if that’s not true? Some say the Republicans and Democrats constitute a wildly successful industry that has colluded to kill off competition, stifle reform, and drive the country apart. So what are you going to do about it? | 10/31/2018 | Free | View in iTunes |
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6 |
CleanExtra: Elvis Costello Full Interview | A conversation with the iconic singer-songwriter, recorded for the Freakonomics Radio series “How to Be Creative.” | 10/27/2018 | Free | View in iTunes |
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7 |
Clean355. Where Does Creativity Come From (and Why Do Schools Kill It Off)? | Family environments and “diversifying experiences” (including the early death of a parent); intrinsic versus extrinsic motivations; schools that value assessments, but don't assess the things we value. All these elements factor into the long, mysterious march towards a creative life. To learn more, we examine the early years of Ai Weiwei, Rosanne Cash, Elvis Costello, Maira Kalman, Wynton Marsalis, Jennifer Egan, and others. (Ep. 2 of the “How to Be Creative” series.) | 10/24/2018 | Free | View in iTunes |
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8 |
CleanExtra: Jeremy Lin Full Interview | A conversation with veteran NBA point guard Jeremy Lin, recorded for the Freakonomics Radio series “The Hidden Side of Sports.” | 10/20/2018 | Free | View in iTunes |
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9 |
Clean354. How to Be Creative | There are thousands of books on the subject, but what do we actually know about creativity? In this new series, we talk to the researchers who study it as well as artists, inventors, and pathbreakers who live it every day: Ai Weiwei, James Dyson, Elvis Costello, Jennifer Egan, Rosanne Cash, Wynton Marsalis, Maira Kalman, and more. (Ep. 1 of the “How to Be Creative” series.) | 10/17/2018 | Free | View in iTunes |
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10 |
Clean353. How to Optimize Your Apology | You said, “I’m sorry,” but somehow you haven’t been forgiven. Why? Because you’re doing it wrong! A report from the front lines of apology science. | 10/10/2018 | Free | View in iTunes |
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11 |
Clean352. Can This Man Stop a Trade War? | The World Trade Organization is the referee for 164 trading partners, each with their own political and economic agendas. Lately, those agendas have gotten more complicated — especially with President Trump’s tariff blitz. Roberto Azevêdo, head of the W.T.O., tells us why it’s so hard to balance protectionism and globalism; what’s really behind the loss of jobs; and what he’d say to Trump (if he ever gets the chance). | 10/3/2018 | Free | View in iTunes |
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12 |
CleanExtra: Shawn Johnson Full Interview | A conversation with 2008 Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson, recorded for the Freakonomics Radio series “The Hidden Side of Sports.” | 9/30/2018 | Free | View in iTunes |
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13 |
Clean351. Here’s Why You’re Not an Elite Athlete | There are a lot of factors that go into greatness, many of which are not obvious. A variety of Olympic and professional athletes tell us how they made it and what they sacrificed to get there. And if you can identify the sport most likely to get a kid into a top college — well then, touché! (Ep. 3 of “The Hidden Side of Sports” series.) | 9/26/2018 | Free | View in iTunes |
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14 |
CleanExtra: Full Interviews With Jimmy Garoppolo, Joe Staley, Mike McGlinchey, and Kyle Juszczyk | Stephen Dubner’s conversations with members of the San Francisco 49ers offense, recorded for Freakonomics Radio episode No. 350, part of the “Hidden Side of Sports” series. | 9/23/2018 | Free | View in iTunes |
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15 |
Clean350. How to Stop Being a Loser | The San Francisco 49ers, one of the most valuable sports franchises in the world, also used to be one of the best. But they’ve been losing lately — a lot — and one of their players launched a controversy by taking a knee during the national anthem. So why is everyone there so optimistic? To find out, we speak with the team’s owner, head coach, general manager, and star players, including their new $137.5 million quarterback. (Ep. 2 of “The Hidden Side of Sports” series.) | 9/19/2018 | Free | View in iTunes |
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16 |
Clean349. How Sports Became Us | Dollar-wise, the sports industry is surprisingly small, about the same size as the cardboard-box industry. So why does it make so much noise? Because it reflects — and often amplifies — just about every political, economic, and social issue of the day. Introducing a new series, “The Hidden Side of Sports.” | 9/12/2018 | Free | View in iTunes |
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17 |
Clean348. Is the Government More Entrepreneurial Than You Think? | We all know the standard story: our economy would be more dynamic if only the government would get out of the way. The economist Mariana Mazzucato says we’ve got that story backward. She argues that the government, by funding so much early-stage research, is hugely responsible for big successes in tech, pharma, energy, and more. But the government also does a terrible job in claiming credit — and, more important, getting a return on its investment. | 9/5/2018 | Free | View in iTunes |
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18 |
CleanPick of the Week: Are the Rich Really Less Generous Than the Poor? (Ep. 288) | From the archive — A series of academic studies suggest that the wealthy are, to put it bluntly, selfish jerks. It's an easy narrative to swallow — but is it true? A trio of economists set out to test the theory. All it took was a Dutch postal worker's uniform, some envelopes stuffed with cash, and a slight sense of the absurd. | 9/5/2018 | Free | View in iTunes |
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CleanPick of the Week: Does Religion Make You Happy? (Ep. 176) | From the archive — It’s a hard question to answer, but we do our best. | 9/5/2018 | Free | View in iTunes |
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20 |
CleanWhere to Find Every Episode of Freakonomics Radio | You can find all 300+ episodes of Freakonomics Radio — going all the way back to 2010 — on the Stitcher app and on our website, freakonomics.com. Want to skip the ads? Sign up for Stitcher Premium. Find out more (and get a discount code) in this short announcement. | 9/5/2018 | Free | View in iTunes |
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Customer Reviews
Great Production Values
Dubner and Levitt have created an unlikely media empire with the Freaknomics brand. Along with the fascinating book series, there is also the compelling NY Times blog, and now this podcast, which, as of episode one, looks like it will make my regular rotation (one of the few podcasts that can make me look forward to my bus commute). Further, Molly Webster is one of the best radio and podcast producers in the business. Her work on Science Friday and Science Line are the stuff of legend and the fact that she is involved with the Freakonomics podcast almost guarantees its greatness. Highly recommended.
Cherry picked "Science"
I just listened to episode two about the obesity epidemic. The overwhelming scientific consensus is that obesity is unhealthy but this podcast chose to "teach the controversy" as if there is one. The "science" falls in the same category as the anthropogenic global warming deniers and the 9-11 truthers. The conclusion is that obesity is not as bad as they say, so go on and have another cheeseburger. That attitude about such a serious subject makes every subsequent podcast suspect. What's next, the amazing efficacy of homeopathy?
Excellent!
I am a physician who thoroughly enjoyed the podcast on obesity.
I wish that patients, lay people and especially health policy makers and breakers better understood the subtle yet critical difference between cause and correlation.
Podcasts like these are good examples of showing us how science can eliminate the usually incorrect act of following a "gut feeling".
