Podcast Episodes

How to Hate Taxes a Little Bit Less (Ep. 400 Replay)

Every year, Americans short the I.R.S. nearly half a trillion dollars. Most ideas to increase compliance are more stick than carrot — scary letters, audits, and penalties. But what if we gave taxpaye…

Published on 2 years, 9 months ago

537. “Insurance Is Sexy.” Discuss.

Episode 537

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?

Hosted…

Published on 2 years, 9 months ago

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.

Hosted by Simpl…

Published on 2 years, 9 months ago

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

Episode 536

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 Amer…

Published on 2 years, 9 months ago

535. Why Is Flying Safer Than Driving?

Episode 535

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.”)

Hosted by Simplec…

Published on 2 years, 9 months ago

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

Episode 534

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…

Published on 2 years, 10 months ago

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 …

Published on 2 years, 10 months ago

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…

Published on 2 years, 10 months ago

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

Episode 533

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 begi…

Published on 2 years, 10 months ago

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.

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Published on 2 years, 10 months ago