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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 cre…
9 years, 11 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 hap…
10 years 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 forwar…
10 years 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 shou…
10 years 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 …
10 years ago
235. Who Needs Handwriting?
Episode 235
The digital age is making pen and paper seem obsolete. But what are we giving up if we give up on handwriting?
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz compa…
10 years, 1 month ago
How to Fix a Broken High Schooler, in Four Easy Steps (Rebroadcast)
Okay, maybe the steps aren't so easy. But a program run out of a Toronto housing project has had great success in turning around kids who were headed…
10 years, 1 month ago
Is America’s Education Problem Really Just a Teacher Problem? (Rebroadcast)
If U.S. schoolteachers are indeed "just a little bit below average," it's not really their fault. So what should be done about it?
Hosted by Simpleca…
10 years, 1 month ago
234. Do Boycotts Work?
Episode 234
The Montgomery Bus Boycott, the South African divestment campaign, Chick-fil-A! Almost anyone can launch a boycott, and the media loves to cover them…
10 years, 1 month ago
233. How to Be Less Terrible at Predicting the Future
Episode 233
Experts and pundits are notoriously bad at forecasting, in part because they aren't punished for bad predictions. Also, they tend to be deeply unscie…
10 years, 2 months ago