Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchEXTRA: 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…
1 year, 7 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 n…
1 year, 7 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” marku…
1 year, 7 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…
1 year, 7 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 …
1 year, 8 months ago
595. Why Don't We Have Better Candidates for President?
Episode 595
American politics is trapped in a duopoly, with two all-powerful parties colluding to stifle competition. We revisit a 2018 episode to explain how th…
1 year, 8 months ago
594. Your Brand’s Spokesperson Just Got Arrested — Now What?
Episode 594
It’s hard to know whether the benefits of hiring a celebrity are worth the risk. We dig into one gruesome story of an endorsement gone wrong, and fin…
1 year, 8 months ago
593. You Can Make a Killing, but Not a Living
Episode 593
Broadway operates on a winner-take-most business model. A runaway hit like Stereophonic — which just won five Tony Awards — will create a few big win…
1 year, 8 months ago
EXTRA: The Fascinatingly Mundane Secrets of the World’s Most Exclusive Nightclub
The Berlin dance mecca Berghain is known for its eight-hour line and inscrutable door policy. PJ Vogt, host of the podcast Search Engine, joins us to…
1 year, 8 months ago
592. How to Make the Coolest Show on Broadway
Episode 592
Hit by Covid, runaway costs, and a zillion streams of competition, serious theater is in serious trouble. A new hit play called Stereophonic — the mo…
1 year, 9 months ago