Podcast Episodes

Are You Ready for a Glorious Sunset? (Rebroadcast)

The gist: we spend billions on end-of-life healthcare that doesn’t do much good. So what if a patient could forego the standard treatment and get a cash rebate instead?

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Published on 9 years, 4 months ago

Aziz Ansari Needs Another Toothbrush (Rebroadcast)

The comedian, actor -- and now, author -- answers our FREAK-quently Asked Questions.

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Published on 9 years, 4 months ago

256. What Are You Waiting For?

Episode 256

Standing in line represents a particularly sloppy - and frustrating - way for supply and demand to meet. Why haven't we found a better way to get what we want? Is it possible that we secretly enjoy w…

Published on 9 years, 4 months ago

Is It Okay for Restaurants to Racially Profile Their Employees? (Rebroadcast)

We seem to have decided that ethnic food tastes better when it's served by people of that ethnicity (or at least something close). Does this make sense -- and is it legal?

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Published on 9 years, 4 months ago

255. Ten Ideas to Make Politics Less Rotten

Episode 255

We Americans may love our democracy -- at least in theory -- but at the moment our feelings toward the federal government lie somewhere between disdain and hatred. Which electoral and political ideas…

Published on 9 years, 5 months ago

254. What Are Gender Barriers Made Of?

Episode 254

Overt discrimination in the labor markets may be on the wane, but women are still subtly penalized by all sorts of societal conventions. How can those penalties be removed without burning down the ho…

Published on 9 years, 5 months ago

253. Is the Internet Being Ruined?

Episode 253

It's a remarkable ecosystem that allows each of us to exercise control over our lives. But how much control do we truly have? How many of our decisions are really being made by Google and Facebook an…

Published on 9 years, 5 months ago

252. Confessions of a Pothole Politician

Episode 252

Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles, has big ambitions but knows he must first master the small stuff. He's also a polymath who relies heavily on data and new technologies. Could this be what mod…

Published on 9 years, 5 months ago

The Suicide Paradox (Rebroadcast )

There are more than twice as many suicides as murders in the U.S., but suicide attracts far less scrutiny. Freakonomics Radio digs through the numbers and finds all kinds of surprises.

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Published on 9 years, 6 months ago

How Much Does the President Really Matter? (Rebroadcast)

The U.S. president is often called the "leader of free world." But if you ask an economist or a Constitutional scholar how much the occupant of the Oval Office matters, they won't say much. We look a…

Published on 9 years, 6 months ago