Freakonomics Radio

You know the saying: a winner never quits and a quitter never wins. To which Freakonomics Radio says ... Are you sure?

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The Encyclopedia of Ethical Failures catalogs the fiscal, sexual, and mental lapses of federal workers -- all with an eye toward preventing the next big mistake.

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Is junk food an abomination or a modern miracle?

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What does "Pride and Prejudice" have to do with nuclear deterrence?

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What happens to your reputation when you're no longer around to defend it?

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You might think that someone with a 50-50 chance of getting a fatal disease would want to know for sure -- but you would be wrong. What does this say about our supposed thirst for certainty?

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Yet another reason to blame your parents for pretty much everything.

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It's awkward, random, confusing -- and probably discriminatory too.

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A glimpse into our driverless future.

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Dubner and Levitt talk about circadian rhythms, gay marriage, autism, and whether "pay what you want" is everything it's cracked up to be.

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If any other product failed 94 percent of the time, you'd probably stop using it. So why do we put up with burglar alarms?

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A look at whether spite pays — and if it even exists.

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Why is unemployment still so high? It may be because of something that happened well before the Great Recession.

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An interview with Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, whose younger brother turned him in -- and what it says about the Boston bombers.

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In many states, it is perfectly legal to not hire someone who smokes. Should employers also be able to weed out junk-food lovers or motorcyclists -- or anyone who wants to have a baby?

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A kid's name can tell us something about his parents -- their race, social standing, even their politics. But is your name really your destiny?

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Real tax reform may or may not ever happen. In the meantime, how about making the current system work a bit better?

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Freakonomics asks a dozen smart people for their best ideas. Get ready for a fat tax, a sugar ban, and a calorie-chomping tapeworm.

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The NCAA basketball tournament grabs a lot of eyeballs, but turning them into dollars hasn't always been easy -- even when the "talent" is playing for free.

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There ain't no such thing as a free parking spot. Somebody has to pay for it -- and that somebody is everybody.

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Sure, we all like to hear compliments. But if you're truly looking to get better at something, it's the negative feedback that will get you there.

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In many ways, the gender gap is closing. In others, not so much. And that's not always a bad thing.

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The gas tax doesn't work well, and it's only going to get worse. What's next?

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No one wants mass shootings. Unfortunately, no one has a workable plan to stop them either.

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It is startlingly easy to create false memories, especially in politics.

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Levitt and Dubner go deep on "Freakonomics Experiments," a new research project that lets you take a chance on life.

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Steve Levitt has a novel idea for helping people make tough decisions

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The very long reach of Winston Churchill -- and how the British government is remaking copyright law.

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Why do Hall of Fame inductees, Oscar winners, and Nobel laureates outlive their peers?

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Levitt and Dubner answer your questions about driving, sneezing, and ladies’ nights. Plus a remembrance of Levitt’s sister Linda.

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It's harder than you'd think to measure the value of a boss. But some enterprising economists have done just that -- and the news is good.

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Dubner's childhood home goes from sacred to profane -- and then back again.

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Who better than an economist to help with your shopping list?

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College, at its best, is about learning to think. Stephen Dubner chats up three of his former professors who made the magic happen.

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Economists are a notoriously self-interested bunch. But a British outfit called Pro Bono Economics is giving away its services to selected charities.

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There are enough management consultants these days to form a small nation. But what do they actually do? And does it work?

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Adding more train and bus lines looks like an environmental slam dunk. Until you start to do the math.

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Turkey sex and chicken wings, selling souls and swapping organs, the power of the president and the price of wine: these are a few of our favorite things.

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Is it as simple as going to the richest neighborhood you can find? Of course not ...

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Politicians tell voters exactly what they want to hear, even when it makes no sense. Which is pretty much all the time.

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We rely on polls and surveys to tell us how people will behave in the future. Too bad they're completely unreliable.

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When you want to get rid of a nasty pest, one obvious solution comes to mind: just offer a cash reward. But be careful -- because nothing backfires quite like a bounty.

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Sure, we love our computers and all the rest of our digital toys. But when it comes to real economic gains, can we ever match old-school innovations like the automobile and electricity?

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Trying to go rustic by baking, brewing, and knitting at home can be terribly inefficient. And that's a wonderful thing.

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The data show that poker is indeed a game of skill, not chance, and a Federal judge agrees. So why are players still being treated like criminals?

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What "Sleep No More" and the Stanford Prison Experiment tell us about who we really are.

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Binge drinking is a big problem at college football games. Oliver Luck -- father of No. 1 NFL pick Andrew, and the athletic director at West Virginia University -- had an unusual idea to help solve it.

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What we know -- and don't know -- about the gazillions of dollars that never show up on anyone's books.

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If you think working from home offers too many distractions, just think about what happens at the office.

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College tends to make people happier, healthier, and wealthier. But how?

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