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Freakonomics Radio

Discover the hidden side of everything with Stephen J. Dubner, co-author of the Freakonomics books. Each week, Freakonomics Radio tells you things you always thought you knew (but didn’t) and things you never thought you wanted to know (but do) — from the economics of sleep to how to become great at just about anything. Dubner speaks with Nobel laureates and provocateurs, intellectuals and entrepreneurs, and various other underachievers. The entire archive, going back to 2010, is available on the Stitcher podcast app and at freakonomics.com.

433. How Are Psychedelics and Other Party Drugs Changing Psychiatry?

Freakonomics Radio

  • 910 views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 56:49

Three leading researchers from the Mount Sinai Health System discuss how ketamine, cannabis, and ecstasy are being used (or studied) to treat everything from severe depression to addiction to PTSD. We discuss the upsides, downsides, and regulatory puzzles.

432. When Your Safety Becomes My Danger

Freakonomics Radio

  • 900 views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 50:25

The families of U.S. troops killed and wounded in Afghanistan are suing several companies that did reconstruction there. Why? These companies, they say, paid the Taliban protection money, which gave them the funding — and opportunity — to attack U.S. soldiers instead. A look at the messy, complicated, and heart-breaking tradeoffs of conflict-zone economies.

Does Anyone Really Know What Socialism Is? (Ep. 408 Rebroadcast)

Freakonomics Radio

  • 860 views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 46:52

Trump says it would destroy us. Biden needs the voters who support it (especially the Bernie voters). The majority of millennials would like it to replace capitalism. But what is “it”? We bring in the economists to sort things out and tell us what the U.S. can learn from the good (and bad) experiences of other (supposedly) socialist countries.

What if Your Company Had No Rules?

Freakonomics Radio

  • 910 views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 57:22

Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings came to believe that corporate rules can kill creativity and innovation. In this latest edition of the Freakonomics Radio Book Club, guest host Maria Konnikova talks to Hastings about his new book, No Rules Rules, and why for some companies the greatest risk is taking no risks at all.

"I Started Crying When I Realized How Beautiful the Universe Is” | People I (Mostly) Admire Ep. 2: Mayim Bialik

Freakonomics Radio

  • 920 views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 49:19

She’s best known for playing neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory, but the award-winning actress has a rich life outside of her acting career, as a teacher, mother — and a real-life neuroscientist.  Steve Levitt tries to learn more about this one-time academic and Hollywood non-conformist, who is both very similar to him and also quite his opposite. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

America’s Hidden Duopoly (Ep. 356 Rebroadcast)

Freakonomics Radio

  • 890 views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 56:09

We all know our political system is “broken” — but what if that’s not true? Some say the Republicans and Democrats constitute a wildly successful industry that has colluded to kill off competition, stifle reform, and drive the country apart. So what are you going to do about it? See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Introducing “People I (Mostly) Admire"

Freakonomics Radio

  • 1.4K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 45:59

A new interview show with host Steve Levitt. Today he speaks with the Harvard psychologist and linguist Steven Pinker. By cataloging the steady march of human progress, the self-declared “polite Canadian” has managed to enrage people on opposite ends of the political spectrum. Levitt tries to understand why. 

The Economics of Sports Gambling (Ep. 388 Rebroadcast)

Freakonomics Radio

  • 890 views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 57:58

What happens when tens of millions of fantasy-sports players are suddenly able to bet real money on real games? We’re about to find out. A recent Supreme Court decision has cleared the way to bring an estimated $300 billion in black-market sports betting into the light. We sort out the winners and losers.

How the Supermarket Helped America Win the Cold War (Ep. 386 Rebroadcast)

Freakonomics Radio

  • 1.1K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 48:34

Aisle upon aisle of fresh produce, cheap meat, and sugary cereal — a delicious embodiment of free-market capitalism, right? Not quite. The supermarket was in fact the endpoint of the U.S. government’s battle for agricultural abundance against the U.S.S.R. Our farm policies were built to dominate, not necessarily to nourish — and we are still living with the consequences.

427. The Pros and Cons of Reparations

Freakonomics Radio

  • 790 views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 44:26

Most Americans agree that racial discrimination has been, and remains, a big problem. But that is where the agreement ends.