Podcast Episodes

243. How to Be More Productive

Episode 243

It's Self-Improvement Month at Freakonomics Radio. We begin with a topic that seems to be on everyone's mind: how to get more done in less time. First, however, a warning: there's a big difference be…

Published on 9 years, 8 months ago

242. Is the World Ready for a Guaranteed Basic Income?

Episode 242

A lot of full-time jobs in the modern economy simply don't pay a living wage. And even those jobs may be obliterated by new technologies. What's to be done so that financially vulnerable people aren'…

Published on 9 years, 8 months ago

241. Are Payday Loans Really as Evil as People Say?

Episode 241

Critics -- including President Obama -- say short-term, high-interest loans are predatory, trapping borrowers in a cycle of debt. But some economists see them as a useful financial instrument for peo…

Published on 9 years, 8 months ago

The Economics of Sleep, Part 2 (Rebroadcast)

People who sleep better earn more money. Now all we have to do is teach everyone to sleep better.

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Published on 9 years, 9 months ago

The Economics of Sleep, Part 1 (Rebroadcast)

Could a lack of sleep help explain why some people get much sicker than others?

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal …

Published on 9 years, 9 months ago

240. Yes, the American Economy Is in a Funk -- But Not for the Reasons You Think

Episode 240

As sexy as the digital revolution may be, it can't compare to the Second Industrial Revolution (electricity! the gas engine! antibiotics!), which created the biggest standard-of-living boost in U.S. …

Published on 9 years, 9 months ago

239. The No-Tipping Point

Episode 239

The restaurant business model is warped: kitchen wages are too low to hire cooks, while diners are put in charge of paying the waitstaff. So what happens if you eliminate tipping, raise menu prices, …

Published on 9 years, 9 months ago

238. The United States of Cory Booker

Episode 238

The junior U.S. Senator from New Jersey thinks bipartisanship is right around the corner. Is he just an idealistic newbie or does he see a way forward that everyone else has missed?

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Published on 9 years, 9 months ago

237. Ask Not What Your Podcast Can Do for You

Episode 237

Now and again, Freakonomics Radio puts hat in hand and asks listeners to donate to the public-radio station that produces the show. Why on earth should anyone pay good money for something that can be…

Published on 9 years, 10 months ago

236. How Can This Possibly Be True?

Episode 236

A famous economics essay features a pencil (yes, a pencil) arguing that “not a single person on the face of this earth knows how to make me.” Is the pencil just bragging? In any case, what can the pe…

Published on 9 years, 10 months ago