Synopsis
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 didnt) 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 Dont Know.
Episodes
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197. Hacking the World Bank
19/02/2015 Duration: 36minJim Yong Kim has an unorthodox background for a World Bank president — and his reign thus far is just as unorthodox.
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196. Is There a Better Way to Fight Terrorism?
12/02/2015 Duration: 42minThe White House is hosting an anti-terror summit next week. Summits being what they are, we try to offer some useful advice.
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195. How Efficient Is Energy Efficiency?
05/02/2015 Duration: 32minIt's a centerpiece of U.S. climate policy and a sacred cow among environmentalists. Does it work?
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194. How Safe Is Your Job?
29/01/2015 Duration: 33minEconomists preach the gospel of "creative destruction," whereby new industries -- and jobs -- replace the old ones. But has creative destruction become too destructive?
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193. Someone Else’s Acid Trip
22/01/2015 Duration: 29minAs Kevin Kelly tells it, the hippie revolution and the computer revolution are nearly one and the same.
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192. That’s a Great Question!
15/01/2015 Duration: 25minVerbal tic or strategic rejoinder? Whatever the case: it’s rare to come across an interview these days where at least one question isn’t a “great” one.
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191. Why Doesn’t Everyone Get the Flu Vaccine?
08/01/2015 Duration: 36minInfluenza kills, but you’d never know it by how few of us get the vaccine.
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What’s the “Best” Exercise? (Rebroadcast)
01/01/2015 Duration: 15minMost people blame lack of time for being out of shape. So maybe the solution is to exercise more efficiently.
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What’s More Dangerous: Marijuana or Alcohol? (Rebroadcast)
25/12/2014 Duration: 25minImagine that both substances were undiscovered until today. How would we think about their relative risks?
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190. Time to Take Back the Toilet
18/12/2014 Duration: 34minPublic bathrooms are noisy, poorly designed, and often nonexistent. What to do?
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The Troubled Cremation of Stevie the Cat (Rebroadcast)
11/12/2014 Duration: 44minWe spend billions on our pets, and one of the fastest-growing costs is pet "aftercare." But are those cremated remains you got back really from your pet?
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189. How to Fix a Broken High Schooler, in Four Easy Steps
04/12/2014 Duration: 29minOkay, maybe the steps aren’t so easy. But a program run out of a Toronto housing project has had great success in turning around kids who were headed for trouble.
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188. Is America’s Education Problem Really Just a Teacher Problem?
27/11/2014 Duration: 34minIf U.S. schoolteachers are indeed “just a little bit below average,” it’s not really their fault. So what should be done about it?
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187. The Man Who Would Be Everything
20/11/2014 Duration: 27minBoris Johnson -- mayor of London, biographer of Churchill, cheese-box painter and tennis-racket collector -- answers our FREAK-quently Asked Questions.
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186. Why Do People Keep Having Children?
13/11/2014 Duration: 38minEven a brutal natural disaster doesn’t diminish our appetite for procreating. This surely means we’re heading toward massive overpopulation, right? Probably not.
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185. Should the U.S. Merge With Mexico?
06/11/2014 Duration: 55minCorporations around the world are consolidating like never before. If it’s good enough for companies, why not countries? Welcome to Amexico!
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184. What Can Vampires Teach Us About Economics?
30/10/2014 Duration: 24minA lot! “The Economics of the Undead” is a book about dating strategy, job creation, and whether there should be a legal market for blood.
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183. “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know”
23/10/2014 Duration: 01h02minThe debut of a live game show from Freakonomics Radio, with judges Malcolm Gladwell, Ana Gasteyer, and David Paterson.
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182. How Can Tiny Norway Afford to Buy So Many Teslas?
16/10/2014 Duration: 36minThe Norwegian government parleys massive oil wealth into huge subsidies for electric cars. Is that carbon laundering or just pragmatic environmentalism?
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How to Raise Money Without Killing a Kitten (Rebroadcast)
09/10/2014 Duration: 33minThe science of what works -- and doesn't work -- in fund-raising