Podcast Episodes

406. Can You Hear Me Now?

Episode 406

When he became chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai announced that he was going to take a “weed whacker” to Obama-era regulations. So far, he’s kept his promise, and earned the…

Published on 5 years, 10 months ago

405. Policymaking Is Not a Science (Yet)

Episode 405

Why do so many promising solutions — in education, medicine, criminal justice, etc. — fail to scale up into great policy? And can a new breed of “implementation scientists” crack the code?

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Published on 5 years, 10 months ago

404. Does the President Matter as Much as You Think?

Episode 404

We asked this same question nearly a decade ago. The answer then: probably not. But a lot has changed since then, and we’re three years into one of the most anomalous presidencies in American history…

Published on 5 years, 10 months ago

How the San Francisco 49ers Stopped Being Losers (Ep. 350 Update)

One of the most storied (and valuable) sports franchises in the world had fallen far. So they decided to do a full reboot — and it worked: this week, they are headed back to the Super Bowl. Before th…

Published on 5 years, 11 months ago

403. The Opioid Tragedy, Part 2: “It’s Not a Death Sentence”

Episode 403

One prescription drug is keeping some addicts from dying. So why isn’t it more widespread? A story of regulation, stigma, and the potentially fatal faith in abstinence.

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Published on 5 years, 11 months ago

402. The Opioid Tragedy, Part 1: “We’ve Addicted an Entire Generation”

Episode 402

How pharma greed, government subsidies, and a push to make pain the “fifth vital sign” kicked off a crisis that costs $80 billion a year and has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans.

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Published on 5 years, 11 months ago

5 Psychology Terms You’re Probably Misusing (Rebroadcast)

We all like to throw around terms that describe human behavior — “bystander apathy” and “steep learning curve” and “hard-wired.” Most of the time, they don’t actually mean what we think they mean. Bu…

Published on 5 years, 11 months ago

The Zero-Minute Workout (Rebroadcast)

There is strong evidence that exercise is wildly beneficial. There is even stronger evidence that most people hate to exercise. So if a pill could mimic the effects of working out, why wouldn’t we wa…

Published on 5 years, 11 months ago

401. How Many Prince Charleses Can There Be in One Room?

Episode 401

In a special holiday episode, Stephen Dubner and Angela Duckworth take turns asking each other questions about charisma, wealth vs. intellect, and (of course) grit.

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Published on 6 years ago

Why Is This Man Running for President? (Update)

A year ago, nobody was taking Andrew Yang very seriously. Now he is America’s favorite entrepre-nerd, with a candidacy that keeps gaining momentum. This episode includes our Jan. 2019 conversation wi…

Published on 6 years ago