So you want to help people? That’s great — but beware the law of unintended consequences. Three stories from the modern workplace. SOURCES: Joshua Angrist , professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Zoe Cullen , professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. Marina Gertsberg , senior lecturer in finance at the University of Melbourne. RESOURCES: " Is Pay Transparency Good? " by Zoë Cullen ( Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2024). " DP18969 Economics ...
Apr 18, 2024•44 min•Ep 584•Transcript available on Metacast The psychologist Daniel Kahneman — a Nobel laureate and the author of Thinking, Fast and Slow — recently died at age 90. Along with his collaborator Amos Tversky, he changed how we all think about decision-making. The journalist Michael Lewis told the Kahneman-Tversky story in a 2016 book called The Undoing Project. In this episode, Lewis explains why they had such a profound influence. SOURCE: Michael Lewis , writer. RESOURCES: The Undoing Project , by Michael Lewis (2016). Thinking, Fast and S...
Apr 14, 2024•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast People who are good at their jobs routinely get promoted into bigger jobs they’re bad at. We explain why firms keep producing incompetent managers — and why that’s unlikely to change. SOURCES: Nick Bloom , professor of economics at Stanford University. Katie Johnson , freelance data and analytics coach. Kelly Shue , professor of finance at the Yale University School of Management. Steve Tadelis , professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business. RESOURCES:...
Apr 11, 2024•50 min•Ep 495•Transcript available on Metacast Fareed Zakaria says yes. But it’s not just political revolution — it’s economic, technological, even emotional. He doesn’t offer easy solutions but he does offer some hope. SOURCES: Fareed Zakaria , journalist and author. RESOURCES: Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present , by Fareed Zakaria (2024). " The Ultimate Election Year: All the Elections Around the World in 2024 ," by Koh Ewe ( TIME, 2023). " The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism ," by Vane...
Apr 04, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep 583•Transcript available on Metacast The political debates over immigration can generate a lot of fuzzy facts. We wanted to test Americans’ knowledge — so, to wrap up our special series on immigration , we called some Freakonomics Radio listeners and quizzed them. SOURCES: Zeke Hernandez , professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. RESOURCES: The Truth About Immigration: Why Successful Societies Welcome Newcomers , by Zeke Hernandez (2024, available for pre-order). EXTRA: “ The True Story of America’s Suprem...
Apr 01, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast As the U.S. tries to fix its messy immigration system, our neighbor to the north is scooping up more talented newcomers every year. Are the Canadians stealing America’s bacon? (Part three of a three-part series .) SOURCES: Zeke Hernandez , professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. William Kerr , professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. David Leonhardt , senior writer at the New York Times . Sindhu Mahadevan , creator of This Immigrant Life newslet...
Mar 28, 2024•50 min•Ep 582•Transcript available on Metacast The U.S. immigration system is a massively complicated machine, with a lot of worn-out parts. How to fix it? Step one: Get hold of some actual facts and evidence. (We did this step for you.) (Part two of a three-part series .) SOURCES: Zeke Hernandez , professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. David Leonhardt , senior writer at the New York Times . Sindhu Mahadevan , creator of This Immigrant Life newsletter. RESOURCES: The Truth About Immigration: Why Successful Societi...
Mar 21, 2024•56 min•Ep 581•Transcript available on Metacast She arrived in the U.S. as an 11-year-old refugee, then rose to become Secretary of State. Her views on immigration, nationalism, and borders, from this 2015 interview, are almost strangely appropriate to the present moment. SOURCE: Madeleine Albright , U.S. Secretary of State under President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. RESOURCES: " Madeleine Albright, First Woman to Serve as Secretary of State, Dies at 84 ," by Robert D. McFadden ( The New York Times, 2022). "...
Mar 18, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast How did a nation of immigrants come to hate immigration? We start at the beginning, sort through the evidence, and explain why your grandfather was lying about Ellis Island. (Part one of a three-part series .) SOURCES: Leah Boustan , professor of economics at Princeton University. Zeke Hernandez , professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Roger Nam , professor of Hebrew Bible at Emory University. RESOURCES: The Truth About Immigration: Why Successful Societies Welcome Ne...
Mar 14, 2024•55 min•Ep 580•Transcript available on Metacast Economists have discovered an odd phenomenon: many people who use social media (even you, maybe?) wish it didn’t exist. But that doesn’t mean they can escape. SOURCES: Leonardo Bursztyn , professor of economics at the University of Chicago. Benjamin Handel , professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley. RESOURCES: " When Product Markets Become Collective Traps: The Case of Social Media ," by Leonardo Bursztyn, Benjamin Handel, Rafael Jimenez, and Christopher Roth ( NBER Worki...
Mar 07, 2024•42 min•Ep 579•Transcript available on Metacast In ancient Rome, it was bread and circuses. Today, it’s a World Cup, an Olympics, and a new Saudi-backed golf league that’s challenging the PGA Tour. Can a sporting event really repair a country’s reputation — or will it trigger the dreaded Streisand Effect? Also: why the major U.S. sports leagues are warming up to the idea of foreign investment. SOURCES: Jodi Balsam , professor of clinical law at Brooklyn Law School. Brandel Chamblee , Golf Channel analyst. Karen Crouse , sports journalist. Bom...
Mar 04, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep 506•Transcript available on Metacast What surprises lurk in our sewage? How did racist city planners end up saving Black lives? Why does Arizona grow hay for cows in Saudi Arabia? Three strange stories about the most fundamental substance we all take for granted. SOURCES: Brian Beach , professor of economics at Vanderbilt University. Marc Johnson , professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the University of Missouri School of Medicine. Amy Kirby , program lead for the National Wastewater Surveillance System at the Cente...
Feb 29, 2024•52 min•Ep 578•Transcript available on Metacast It used to feel like magic. Now it can feel like a set of cheap tricks. Is the problem with Google — or with us? And is Google Search finally facing a real rival, in the form of A.I.-powered “answer engines”? SOURCES: Marissa Mayer , co-founder of Sunshine; former C.E.O. of Yahoo! and vice president at Google. Ryan McDevitt ; professor of economics at Duke University. Tim Hwang , media researcher and author; former Google employee. Elizabeth Reid , vice president of Search at Google. Aravind Sri...
Feb 22, 2024•57 min•Ep 522•Transcript available on Metacast A wide-open conversation with three women who guided Richard Feynman through some big adventures at the Esalen Institute. (Part of our Feynman series .) SOURCES: Barbara Berg, friend of Richard Feynman. Cheryl Haley, friend of Richard Feynman. Debby Harlow, friend of Richard Feynma Sam Stern, content creator at the Esalen Institute. EXTRAS: Richard Feynman Series , by Freakonomics Radio (2024). " The Future of Therapy Is Psychedelic ," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2023)....
Feb 19, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast In his final years, Richard Feynman's curiosity took him to some surprising places. We hear from his companions on the trips he took — and one he wasn’t able to. (Part three of a three-part series .) SOURCES: Alan Alda , actor and screenwriter. Barbara Berg, friend of Richard Feynman. Helen Czerski , physicist and oceanographer at University College London. Michelle Feynman , photographer and daughter of Richard Feynman. Cheryl Haley, friend of Richard Feynman. Debby Harlow, friend of Richard Fe...
Feb 15, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep 577•Transcript available on Metacast What happens when an existentially depressed and recently widowed young physicist from Queens gets a fresh start in California? We follow Richard Feynman out west, to explore his long and extremely fruitful second act. (Part two of a three-part series .) SOURCES: Seamus Blackley , video game designer and creator of the Xbox. Carl Feynman , computer scientist and son of Richard Feynman. Michelle Feynman , photographer and daughter of Richard Feynman. Ralph Leighton , biographer and film producer....
Feb 08, 2024•53 min•Ep 576•Transcript available on Metacast They’re heading to the Super Bowl for the second time in five years. But back in 2018, they were coming off a long losing streak — and that’s the year we sat down with 49ers players, coaches, and executives to hear their turnaround plans. It’s probably time to consider the turnaround a success. SOURCES: Jimmy Garoppolo , quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders; former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. Al Guido , president of the San Francisco 49ers. Kyle Juszczyk , fullback for the San Fran...
Feb 05, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast From the Manhattan Project to the Challenger investigation, the physicist Richard Feynman loved to shoot down what he called “lousy ideas.” Today, the world is awash in lousy ideas — so maybe it’s time to get some more Feynman in our lives? (Part one of a three-part series.) SOURCES: Helen Czerski , physicist and oceanographer at University College London. Michelle Feynman , photographer and daughter of Richard Feynman. Ralph Leighton , biographer and film producer. Charles Mann , science journa...
Feb 01, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep 575•Transcript available on Metacast Michael Roth of Wesleyan University doesn’t hang out with other university presidents. He also thinks some of them have failed a basic test of good sense and decency. It’s time for a conversation about college, and courage. SOURCE: Michael S. Roth , president of Wesleyan University. RESOURCES: " Opinion: College Presidents Are Supposed to Be Moral Leaders, Not Evasive Bureaucrats ," by Michael S. Roth ( Los Angeles Times, 2023). " Transcript: What Harvard, MIT and Penn Presidents Said at Antisem...
Jan 25, 2024•47 min•Ep 574•Transcript available on Metacast 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. But don’t worry — the experts are getting it wrong, too. SOURCES: Sharon Begley , senior science writer for Stat at The Boston Globe . Jerome Kagan , emeritus professor of psychology at Harvard University. Bibb Latané , social psychologist and senior fellow at the Center for Human Science. Scott Lilien...
Jan 22, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Probably not — the incentives are too strong. Scholarly publishing is a $28 billion global industry, with misconduct at every level. But a few reformers are gaining ground. (Part 2 of 2) SOURCES: Max Bazerman , professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. Leif Nelson , professor of business administration at the University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business. Brian Nosek , professor of psychology at the University of Virginia and executive director at the Center f...
Jan 18, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep 573•Transcript available on Metacast Some of the biggest names in behavioral science stand accused of faking their results. Last year, an astonishing 10,000 research papers were retracted. We talk to whistleblowers, reformers, and a co-author who got caught up in the chaos. (Part 1 of 2) SOURCES: Max Bazerman , professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. Leif Nelson , professor of business administration at the University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business. Brian Nosek , professor of psychology at ...
Jan 11, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Ep 572•Transcript available on Metacast In a special episode of The Economics of Everyday Things, host Zachary Crockett explains what millennials do to show they care, how corrugated cardboard keeps your food warm, and why every city has a billboard for a guy who calls himself “The Hammer.” SOURCES: Jason Abraham , managing partner of Hupy & Abraham. Nora Engstrom , professor at Stanford Law School. Kyle Hebenstreit , C.E.O. of Practice Made Perfect. Patrick Kivits , president of corrugated packaging at WestRock. Mia Mercado , writer ...
Jan 04, 2024•49 min•Ep 571•Transcript available on Metacast In a special episode of People I (Mostly) Admire, Steve Levitt talks to Cat Bohannon about her new book Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution. SOURCE: Cat Bohannon , researcher and author. RESOURCES: Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution , by Cat Bohannon (2023). " Genomic Inference of a Severe Human Bottleneck During the Early to Middle Pleistocene Transition ," by Wangjie Hu, Ziqian Hao, Pengyuan Du, Fabio Di Vincenzo, Giorgio Manzi, ...
Dec 28, 2023•46 min•Ep 570•Transcript available on Metacast In a special episode of No Stupid Questions, Angela Duckworth and Mike Maughan talk about unfinished tasks, recurring arguments, and Irish goodbyes. SOURCES: Roy Baumeister , social psychologist and visiting scholar at Harvard University. Daniel Gilbert , professor of psychology at Harvard University. John Gottman , professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Washington. Kurt Lewin , 20th-century German-American psychologist. E. J. Masicampo , professor of psychology at Wake Forest Uni...
Dec 21, 2023•40 min•Ep 569•Transcript available on Metacast Lewis got incredible access to Sam Bankman-Fried, the billionaire behind the spectacular FTX fraud. His book is a bestseller, but some critics say he went too easy on S.B.F. Lewis tells us why the critics are wrong — and what it’s like to watch your book get turned into a courtroom drama. SOURCES: Michael Lewis , author. RESOURCES: Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon , by Michael Lewis (2023). " Column: In Michael Lewis, Sam Bankman-Fried Found His Last and Most Willing Victim ," b...
Dec 14, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep 568•Transcript available on Metacast In policing, as in most vocations, the best employees are often promoted into leadership without much training. One economist thinks he can address this problem — and, with it, America’s gun violence. SOURCES Kenneth Corey , director of outreach and engagement for the Policing Leadership Academy at the University of Chicago and retired chief of department for the New York Police Department. Stephanie Drescher , operations captain in the City of Madison Police Department. Max Kapustin , assistant...
Dec 07, 2023•48 min•Ep 567•Transcript available on Metacast It boosts economic opportunity and social mobility. It’s good for the environment. So why do we charge people to use it? The short answer: it’s complicated. Also: We talk to the man who gets half the nation’s mass-transit riders where they want to go (most of the time). SOURCES: Marcus Finbom , traffic planner in Stockholm, Sweden. Robbie Makinen , former president and C.E.O. of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority. Janno Lieber , chair and C.E.O. of the M.T.A. in New York City. Brian T...
Nov 30, 2023•56 min•Ep 513•Transcript available on Metacast Most industries have become more productive over time. But not construction! We identify the causes — and possible solutions. (Can you say ... “prefab”?) RESOURCES: " The Strange and Awful Path of Productivity in the US Construction Sector ," by Austan Goolsbee and Chad Syverson ( BFI Working Paper, 2023). " Infrastructure Costs ," by Leah Brooks and Zachary D. Liscow ( American Economic Journal: Applied, 2023). " The Silicon Valley Elite Who Want to Build a City From Scratch ," by Conor Dougher...
Nov 23, 2023•55 min•Ep 566•Transcript available on Metacast Pro footballer and star podcaster Jason Kelce is ubiquitous right now (almost as ubiquitous as his brother and co-host Travis, who's been in the limelight for his relationship with Taylor Swift). After you hear this wide-ranging interview, you might want even more Kelce in your life. RESOURCES: “ N.F.L. Player Team Report Cards ,” by the National Football League Players Association (2023). Kelce , documentary (2023). New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce , (produced by Wave Sports + Entertainm...
Nov 19, 2023•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
