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410. What Does Covid-19 Mean for Cities (and Marriages)?
Episode 410
There are a lot of upsides to urban density — but viral contagion is not one of them. Also: a nationwide lockdown will show if familiarity really bre…
5 years, 11 months ago
409. The Side Effects of Social Distancing
Episode 409
In just a few weeks, the novel coronavirus has undone a century’s worth of our economic and social habits. What consequences will this have on our fu…
5 years, 11 months ago
Why Rent Control Doesn’t Work (Ep. 373 Rebroadcast)
As cities become ever-more expensive, politicians and housing advocates keep calling for rent control. Economists think that’s a terrible idea. They …
6 years ago
408. Does Anyone Really Know What Socialism Is?
Episode 408
Trump says it would destroy us. Sanders says it will save us. The majority of millennials would like it to replace capitalism. But what is “it”? We b…
6 years ago
407. Is There Really a “Loneliness Epidemic”?
Episode 407
That’s what some health officials are saying, but the data aren’t so clear. We look into what’s known (and not known) about the prevalence and effect…
6 years ago
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 regulati…
6 years 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 “imp…
6 years, 1 month 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 t…
6 years, 1 month 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,…
6 years, 1 month 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 f…
6 years, 1 month ago