Freakonomics Radio

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Episodes

Date Title & Description Contributors
2023-03-23

  537. “Insurance Is Sexy.” Discuss.

In this installment of the Freakonomics Radio Book Club, the economist Amy Finkelstein explains why insurance markets are broken and how to fix them. Also: why can’t you buy divorce insurance?
  Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher author
2023-03-16

  Why Are There So Many Bad Bosses? (Ep. 495 Replay)

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.
  Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher author
2023-03-09

  536. Is Your Plane Ticket Too Expensive — or Too Cheap?

Most travelers want the cheapest flight they can find. Airlines, meanwhile, need to manage volatile fuel costs, a pricey workforce, and complex logistics. So how do they make money — and how did America’s grubbiest airport suddenly turn into a palace? ...
  Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher author
2023-03-02

  535. Why Is Flying Safer Than Driving?

Thanks to decades of work by airlines and regulators, plane crashes are nearly a thing of the past. Can we do the same for cars? (Part 2 of “Freakonomics Radio Takes to the Skies.”)
  Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher author
2023-02-23

  534. Air Travel Is a Miracle. Why Do We Hate It?

It’s an unnatural activity that has become normal. You’re stuck in a metal tube with hundreds of strangers (and strange smells), defying gravity and racing through the sky.  But oh, the places you’ll go! We visit the world’s busiest airport to see how ...
  Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher author
2023-02-16

  Why Does the Most Monotonous Job in the World Pay $1 Million? (Ep. 493 Update)

Adam Smith famously argued that specialization is the key to prosperity. In the N.F.L., the long snapper is proof of that argument. Here’s everything there is to know about a job that didn’t used to exist.
  Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher author
2023-02-13

  The Economics of Everyday Things: Used Hotel Soaps

Hotel guests adore those cute little soaps, but is it just a one-night stand? In our fourth episode of The Economics of Everyday Things, Zachary Crockett discovers what happens to those soaps when we love ’em and leave ’em.
  Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher author
2023-02-09

  533. Will the Democrats “Make America Great Again”?

For decades, the U.S. let globalization run its course and hoped China would be an ally. Now the Biden administration is spending billions to bring high-tech manufacturing back home. Is this the beginning of a new industrial policy — or just another ro...
  Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher author
2023-02-06

  The Economics of Everyday Things: “My Sharona”

Can a hit single from four decades ago still pay the bills? Zachary Crockett f-f-f-finds out in the third episode of our newest podcast, The Economics of Everyday Things. 
  Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher author
2023-02-02

  Is Economic Growth the Wrong Goal? (Ep. 429 Update)

The economist Kate Raworth says the aggressive pursuit of G.D.P. is trashing the planet and shortchanging too many people. She has proposed an alternative — and the city of Amsterdam is giving it a try. How's it going?
  Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher author