Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchThe University of Impossible-to-Get-Into (Update)
Episode 501
America’s top colleges are facing record demand. So why don’t they increase supply? (Part 2 of our series from 2022, “Freakonomics Radio Goes Back to School.”)
SOURCES:Peter Blair, professor of educa…
Published on 1 year, 4 months ago
What Exactly Is College For? (Update)
Episode 500
We think of them as intellectual enclaves and the surest route to a better life. But U.S. colleges also operate like firms, trying to differentiate their products to win market share and prestige poi…
Published on 1 year, 4 months ago
EXTRA: Here’s Why You’re Not an Elite Athlete (Update)
Episode 351
There are a lot of factors that go into greatness, many of which are not obvious. As the Olympics come to a close, we revisit a 2018 episode in which top athletes from a variety of sports tell us how…
Published on 1 year, 4 months ago
600. “If We’re All in It for Ourselves, Who Are We?”
Episode 600
Tania Tetlow, a former federal prosecutor and now the president of Fordham University, thinks the modern campus could use a dose of old-fashioned values.
SOURCE:Tania Tetlow, president of Fordham Uni…
Published on 1 year, 4 months ago
599. The World's Most Valuable Unused Resource
Episode 599
It’s not oil or water or plutonium — it’s human hours. We've got an idea for putting them to use, and for building a more human-centered economy. But we need your help.
SOURCES:Nathan Dietz, research…
Published on 1 year, 4 months ago
EXTRA: Why Rent Control Doesn’t Work (Update)
Episode 373
A new proposal from the Biden administration calls for a nationwide cap on rent increases. Economists think that’s a terrible idea. We revisit a 2019 episode to hear why.
SOURCES:Tommy Andersson, pro…
Published on 1 year, 5 months ago
598. Is Overconsolidation a Threat to Democracy?
Episode 598
That’s the worry. Even the humble eyeglass industry is dominated by a single firm.
We look into the global spike in myopia, how the Lemtosh got its name, and what your eye doctor knows that you don’t…
Published on 1 year, 5 months ago
597. Why Do Your Eyeglasses Cost $1,000?
Episode 597
A single company, EssilorLuxottica, owns so much of the eyewear industry that it’s hard to escape their gravitational pull — or their “obscene” markups. Should regulators do something? Can Warby Park…
Published on 1 year, 5 months ago
EXTRA: People Aren’t Dumb. The World Is Hard. (Update)
Episode 340
You wouldn’t think you could win a Nobel Prize for showing that humans tend to make irrational decisions. But that’s what Richard Thaler has done. In an interview from 2018, the founder of behavioral…
Published on 1 year, 5 months ago
596. Farewell to a Generational Talent
Episode 596
Daniel Kahneman left his mark on academia (and the real world) in countless ways. A group of his friends and colleagues recently gathered in Chicago to reflect on this legacy — and we were there, wit…
Published on 1 year, 5 months ago