Freakonomics Radio

Just beneath the surface of the global economy, there is a hidden layer of dealmakers for whom war, chaos, and sanctions can be a great business opportunity. Javier Blas and Jack Farchy, the authors of The World for Sale, help us shine a light on the shadowy realm of commodity traders.

• SOURCES:
  • Javier Blas, opinion columnist at Bloomberg News.
  • Jack Farchy, energy and commodities senior reporter at Bloomberg News.

• RESOURCES:
  • The World For Sale: Money, Power, and the Traders Who Barter the Earth's Resources, by Javier Blas and Jack Farchy (2021)
  • The King of Oil: The Secret Lives of Marc Rich, by Daniel Ammann (2010).

• EXTRAS:
  • "How the Supermarket Helped America Win the Cold War (Update)" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "The First Great American Industry," by Freakonomics Radio (2023).

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Everyone makes mistakes. How do we learn from them? Lessons from the classroom, the Air Force, and the world’s deadliest infectious disease. (Part four of a four-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Will Coleman, founder and C.E.O. of Alto.
  • Amy Edmondson, professor of leadership management at Harvard Business School.
  • Babak Javid, physician-scientist and associate director of the University of California, San Francisco Center for Tuberculosis.
  • Gary Klein, cognitive psychologist and pioneer in the field of naturalistic decision making.
  • Theresa MacPhail, medical anthropologist and associate professor of science & technology studies at the Stevens Institute of Technology.
  • Roy Shalem, lecturer at Tel Aviv University.
  • Samuel West, curator and founder of The Museum of Failure.

• RESOURCES:
  • "A Golf Club Urinal, Colgate Lasagna and the Bitter Fight Over the Museum of Failure," by Zusha Elinson (Wall Street Journal, 2025).
  • Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well, by Amy Edmondson (2023).
  • “You Think Failure Is Hard? So Is Learning From It,” by Lauren Eskreis-Winkler and Ayelet Fishbach (Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2022).
  • “The Market for R&D Failures,” by Manuel Trajtenberg and Roy Shalem (SSRN, 2010).
  • “Performing a Project Premortem,” by Gary Klein (Harvard Business Review, 2007).

• EXTRAS:
  • "The Deadliest Disease in Human History," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2025).
  • “How to Succeed at Failing,” series by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • “Moncef Slaoui: ‘It’s Unfortunate That It Takes a Crisis for This to Happen,'” by People I (Mostly) Admire (2020).

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Giving up can be painful. That's why we need to talk about it. Today: stories about glitchy apps, leaky paint cans, broken sculptures — and a quest for the perfect bowl of ramen. (Part three of a four-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • John Boykin, website designer and failed paint can re-inventor.
  • Angela Duckworth, host of No Stupid Questions, co-founder of Character Lab, and professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Amy Edmondson, professor of leadership management at Harvard Business School.
  • Helen Fisher, former senior research fellow at The Kinsey Institute and former chief science advisor to Match.com.
  • Eric von Hippel, professor of technological innovation at M.I.T.’s Sloan School of Management.
  • Jill Hoffman, founder and C.E.O. of Path 2 Flight.
  • Gary Klein, cognitive psychologist and pioneer in the field of naturalistic decision making.
  • Steve Levitt, host of People I (Mostly) Admire, co-author of the Freakonomics books, and professor of economics at the University of Chicago.
  • Joseph O’Connell, artist.
  • Mike Ridgeman, government affairs manager at the Wisconsin Bike Fed.
  • Melanie Stefan, professor of physiology at Medical School Berlin.
  • Travis Thul, vice president for Student Success and Engagement at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

• RESOURCES:
  • “Data Snapshot: Tenure and Contingency in US Higher Education,” by Glenn Colby (American Association of University Professors, 2023).
  • Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, by Angela Duckworth (2016).
  • “Entrepreneurship and the U.S. Economy,” by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2016).
  • “A C.V. of Failures,” by Melanie Stefan (Nature, 2010).
  • Ramen Now! official website.

• EXTRAS: 
  • “How to Succeed at Failing,” series by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • “Annie Duke Thinks You Should Quit,” by People I (Mostly) Admire (2022).
  • “How Do You Know When It’s Time to Quit?” by No Stupid Questions (2020).
  • “Honey, I Grew the Economy,” by Freakonomics Radio (2019).
  • “The Upside of Quitting,” by Freakonomics Radio (2011).

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In medicine, failure can be catastrophic. It can also produce discoveries that save millions of lives. Tales from the front line, the lab, and the I.T. department. (Part two of a four-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Amy Edmondson, professor of leadership management at Harvard Business School.
  • Carole Hemmelgarn, co-founder of Patients for Patient Safety U.S. and director of the Clinical Quality, Safety & Leadership Master’s program at Georgetown University.
  • Gary Klein, cognitive psychologist and pioneer in the field of naturalistic decision making.
  • Robert Langer, institute professor and head of the Langer Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  • John Van Reenen, professor at the London School of Economics.

• RESOURCES:
  • Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well, by Amy Edmondson (2023).
  • “Reconsidering the Application of Systems Thinking in Healthcare: The RaDonda Vaught Case,” by Connor Lusk, Elise DeForest, Gabriel Segarra, David M. Neyens, James H. Abernathy III, and Ken Catchpole (British Journal of Anaesthesia, 2022).
  • "Estimates of preventable hospital deaths are too high, new study shows," by Bill Hathaway (Yale News, 2020).
  • “Dispelling the Myth That Organizations Learn From Failure,” by Jeffrey Ray (SSRN, 2016).
  • “A New, Evidence-Based Estimate of Patient Harms Associated With Hospital Care,” by John T. James (Journal of Patient Safety, 2013).
  • To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System, by the National Academy of Sciences (1999).
  • “Polymers for the Sustained Release of Proteins and Other Macromolecules,” by Robert Langer and Judah Folkman (Nature, 1976).
  • The Innovation and Diffusion Podcast, by John Van Reenen and Ruveyda Gozen.

• EXTRAS:
  • "The Curious, Brilliant, Vanishing Mr. Feynman," series by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • “Will a Covid-19 Vaccine Change the Future of Medical Research?” by Freakonomics Radio (2020).
  • “Bad Medicine, Part 3: Death by Diagnosis,” by Freakonomics Radio (2016).

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We tend to think of tragedies as a single terrible moment, rather than the result of multiple bad decisions. Can this pattern be reversed? We try — with stories about wildfires, school shootings, and love. (Part one of a four-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Amy Edmondson, professor of leadership management at Harvard Business School.
  • Helen Fisher, former senior research fellow at The Kinsey Institute and former chief science advisor to Match.com.
  • Ed Galea, founding director of the Fire Safety Engineering Group at the University of Greenwich.
  • Gary Klein, cognitive psychologist and pioneer in the field of naturalistic decision making.
  • David Riedman, founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database.
  • Aaron Stark, head cashier at Lowe's and keynote speaker.
  • John Van Reenen, professor at the London School of Economics.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Ethan Crumbley: Parents of Michigan school gunman sentenced to at least 10 years," by Brandon Drenon (New York Times, 2024).
  • Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well, by Amy Edmondson (2023).
  • "How Fire Turned Lahaina Into a Death Trap," by Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Serge F. Kovaleski, Shawn Hubler, and Riley Mellen (The New York Times, 2023).
  • The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic, by Jillian Peterson and James Densley (2021).
  • "I Was Almost A School Shooter," by Aaron Stark (TEDxBoulder, 2018).

• EXTRAS: 
  • "Is Perfectionism Ruining Your Life?" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2023).
  • "Why Did You Marry That Person?" by Freakonomics Radio (2022).
  • "What Do We Really Learn From Failure?" by No Stupid Questions (2021).
  • "How to Fail Like a Pro," by Freakonomics Radio (2019).
  • "Failure Is Your Friend," by Freakonomics Radio (2014).

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It used to be that making documentary films meant taking a vow of poverty (and obscurity). The streaming revolution changed that. Award-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler talks to Stephen Dubner about capturing Billie Eilish’s musical genius and Martha Stewart’s vulnerability — and why he really, really, really needs to make a film about the New York Mets.

• SOURCES:
  • R.J. Cutler, filmmaker.

• RESOURCES:
  • Fight for Glory, documentary (2025).
  • Martha, documentary (2024).
  • "Reality Check: The Boom—or Glut—in Streaming Documentaries Has Sparked a Reckoning Among Filmmakers and Their Subjects," by Reeves Wiedeman (Vulture, 2023).
  • "Inside the Documentary Cash Grab," by Mia Galuppo and Katie Kilkenny (The Hollywood Reporter, 2022).
  • Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, documentary (2021).

• EXTRAS:
  • “Ari Emanuel Is Never Indifferent,” by Freakonomics Radio (2023).

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It’s been in development for five years and has at least a year to go. On the eve of its out-of-town debut, the actor playing Lincoln quit. And the producers still need to raise another $15 million to bring the show to New York. There really is no business like show business. (Part three of a three-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Christopher Ashley, artistic director of La Jolla Playhouse.
  • Debby Buchholz, managing director of La Jolla Playhouse.
  • Carmen Cusack, actor.
  • Quentin Earl Darrington, actor.
  • Joe DiPietro, playwright and lyricist.
  • Crystal Monee Hall, composer, singer, actor.
  • Ivan Hernandez, actor.
  • Michael Rushton, professor of arts administration at Indiana University.
  • Jeffrey Seller, Broadway producer.
  • Alan Shorr, Broadway producer.
  • Daniel Watts, writer, choreographer, actor.

• RESOURCES:
  • 3 Summers of Lincoln (2025).
  • "Review: Visceral ‘3 Summers of Lincoln’ is thrilling and thought-provoking," by Pam Kragen (San Diego Union-Tribune, 2025).
  • "What’s Wrong with the Theatre is What’s Wrong With Society," by Michael Rushton (ArtsJournal, 2023).
  • "American Theater Is Imploding Before Our Eyes," by Isaac Butler (New York Times, 2023).
  • The Moral Foundations of Public Funding for the Arts, by Michael Rushton (2023).

• EXTRAS:
  • “How to Make the Coolest Show on Broadway,” by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • “You Can Make a Killing, but Not a Living,” by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

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In an episode from 2012, we looked at what Sleep No More and the Stanford Prison Experiment can tell us about who we really are.

• SOURCES:
  • Felix Barrett, artistic director of Punchdrunk.
  • Steven Levitt, professor of economics at the University of Chicago.
  • Philip Zimbardo, professor emeritus at Stanford University.

• RESOURCES:
  • “Philip Zimbardo, the psychologist behind the ‘Stanford Prison Experiment,’ dies at 91,” by Melissa De Witte (Stanford Report, 2024).
  • “Debunking the Stanford Prison Experiment,” by Thibault Le Texier (American Psychologist, 2019).
  • “The Lifespan of a Lie,” by Ben Blum (GEN, 2018).
  • Punchdrunk.

• EXTRAS:
  • “How Is Live Theater Still Alive?” by Freakonomics Radio (2025).
  • "Why Is There So Much Fraud in Academia?" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

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A hit like Hamilton can come from nowhere while a sure bet can lose $20 million in a flash. We speak with some of the biggest producers in the game — Sonia Friedman, Jeffrey Seller, Hal Luftig — and learn that there is only one guarantee: the theater owners always win. (Part two of a three-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Debby Buchholz, managing director of La Jolla Playhouse.
  • Sonia Friedman, Broadway producer.
  • Rocco Landesman, Broadway producer, former owner of Jujamcyn Theaters, former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.
  • Hal Luftig, Broadway producer.
  • Luis Miranda Jr., political strategist, founding president of the Hispanic Federation, the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance, Viva Broadway, and The Public Theater.
  • Michael Rushton, professor of arts administration at Indiana University.
  • Jeffrey Seller, Broadway producer.
  • Richard Winkler, Broadway producer.
  • Stacy Wolf, professor of theater at Princeton University.

• RESOURCES:
  • Theater Kid: A Broadway Memoir, by Jeffrey Seller (2025).
  • Relentless: My Story of the Latino Spirit That Is Transforming America, by Luis Miranda Jr. (2024).
  • Beyond Broadway: The Pleasure and Promise of Musical Theatre Across America, by Stacy Wolf (2019).
  • "‘Hamilton’ Inc.: The Path to a Billion-Dollar Broadway Show," by Michael Paulson and David Gelles (New York Times, 2016).
  • "On the Performing Arts: The Anatomy of Their Economic Problems," by W.J. Baumol and W.G. Bowen (The American Economic Review, 1965).

• EXTRAS:
  • “How to Make the Coolest Show on Broadway,” by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • “You Can Make a Killing, but Not a Living,” by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

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It has become fiendishly expensive to produce, and has more competition than ever. And yet the believers still believe. Why? And does the world really want a new musical about ... Abraham Lincoln?! (Part one of a three-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Christopher Ashley, artistic director of La Jolla Playhouse.
  • Quentin Darrington, actor.
  • Joe DiPietro, playwright and lyricist.
  • Crystal Monee Hall, composer, singer, actor.
  • Rocco Landesman, Broadway producer, former owner of Jujamcyn Theaters, former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.
  • Alan Shorr, Broadway producer.
  • Daniel Watts, writer, choreographer, actor.
  • Richard Winkler, Broadway producer.

• RESOURCES:
  • 3 Summers of Lincoln (2025)
  • “Live Performance Theaters in the US - Market Research Report (2014-2029),” by Grace Wood (IBISWorld, 2024). 
  • Leadership: In Turbulent Times, by Doris Kearns Goodwin (2018).
  • Big River (1984)

• EXTRAS:
  • “How to Make the Coolest Show on Broadway,” by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • “You Can Make a Killing, but Not a Living,” by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

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Why do so many promising solutions in education, medicine, and criminal justice fail to scale up into great policy? And can a new breed of “implementation scientists” crack the code?

• SOURCES:
  • Patti Chamberlain, senior research scientist at the Oregon Social Learning Center.
  • John List, professor of economics at the University of Chicago.
  • Lauren Supplee, former deputy chief operating officer at Child Trends.
  • Dana L. Suskind, professor of surgery at the University of Chicago.

• RESOURCES:
  • “How Can Experiments Play a Greater Role in Public Policy? 12 Proposals from an Economic Model of Scaling,” by Omar Al-Ubaydli, John List, Claire Mackevicius, Min Sok Lee, and Dana Suskind.
  • “The Science of Using Science: Towards an Understanding of the Threats to Scaling Experiments,” by Omar Al-Ubaydli, John List, and Dana Suskind (The Field Experiments Website, 2019).
  • “Inconsistent Device Use in Pediatric Cochlear Implant Users: Prevalence and Risk Factors,” by K.B.Wiseman and A.D. Warner-Czyz (U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, 2018).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Why Do Most Ideas Fail to Scale?" by Freakonomics Radio (2022).
  • "The Price of Doing Business with John List," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2022).
  • Child Trends.
  • Oregon Social Learning Center.
  • T.M.W. Center for Early Learning and Public Health.
  • The Field Experiments Website.

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There is no sludgier place in America than Washington, D.C. But there are signs of a change. We’ll hear about this progress — and ask where Elon Musk and DOGE fit in. (Part two of a two-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Benjamin Handel, professor of economics at UC Berkeley.
  • Neale Mahoney, professor of economics at Stanford University.
  • Jennifer Pahlka, founder of Code for America.
  • Richard Thaler, professor of economics at The University of Chicago.

• RESOURCES:
  • "How Big Is the Subscription Cancellation Problem?" by Giacomo Fraccaroli, Neale Mahoney, and Zahra Thabet (Briefing Book, 2024).
  • Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better, by Jennifer Pahlka (2023).
  • Nudge: The Final Edition, by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein (2021).
  • "HealthCare.gov: Case Study of CMS Management of the Federal Marketplace," by Daniel Levinson (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2016).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Sludge, Part 1: The World Is Drowning in It," by Freakonomics Radio (2025).

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Insurance forms that make no sense. Subscriptions that can’t be cancelled. A never-ending blizzard of automated notifications. Where does all this sludge come from — and how much is it costing us? (Part one of a two-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Benjamin Handel, professor of economics at UC Berkeley.
  • Neale Mahoney, professor of economics at Stanford University.
  • Richard Thaler, professor of economics at The University of Chicago.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Selling Subscriptions," by Liran Einav, Ben Klopack, and Neale Mahoney (Stanford University, 2023).
  • "The ‘Enshittification’ of TikTok," by Cory Doctorow (WIRED, 2023).
  • "Dominated Options in Health Insurance Plans," by Chenyuan Liu and Justin Sydnor (American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 2022).
  • Nudge (The Final Edition), by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein (2021).
  • "Frictions or Mental Gaps: What’s Behind the Information We (Don’t) Use and When Do We Care?" by Benjamin Handel and Joshua Schwartzstein (Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2018).
  • "Adverse Selection and Switching Costs in Health Insurance Markets: When Nudging Hurts," by Benjamin Handel (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2011).

• EXTRAS:
  • "People Aren’t Dumb. The World Is Hard. (Update)" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "All You Need is Nudge," by Freakonomics Radio (2021).
  • "How to Fix the Hot Mess of U.S. Healthcare," by Freakonomics Radio (2021).
  • "Should We Really Behave Like Economists Say We Do?" by Freakonomics Radio (2015).

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The quirky little grocery chain with California roots and German ownership has a lot to teach all of us about choice architecture, efficiency, frugality, collaboration, and team spirit.

• SOURCES:
  • Kirk DesErmia, facilities manager in Seward, Alaska.
  • Mark Gardiner, journalist and author.
  • Sheena Iyengar, professor of business at Columbia Business School.
  • Michael Roberto, professor of management at Bryant University.

• RESOURCES:
  • “Trader Joe’s,” David Ager and Michael Roberto (Harvard Business School Case, 2014).
  • “What Brands Are Actually Behind Trader Joe’s Snacks?,” Vince Dixon (Eater, 2017).
  • Build a Brand Like Trader Joe’s by Mark Gardiner (2012).
  • “When Choice is Demotivating: Can One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing?,” Sheena Iyengar and Mark Lepper (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2000).
  • Unlocking Creativity, by Michael Roberto (2019).

• EXTRAS:
  • “How Can This Possibly Be True?,” by Freakonomics Radio (2016).
  • “How to Save $1 Billion Without Even Trying,” by Freakonomics Radio (2016).

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Nearly everything that politicians say about taxes is at least half a lie. They are also dishonest when it comes to the national debt. Stephen Dubner finds one of the few people in Washington who is willing to tell the truth — and it’s even worse than you think.

• SOURCES:
  • Jessica Riedl, senior fellow in budget, tax, and economic policy at the Manhattan Institute.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The House Wants to Pass Trump’s Agenda in One Big Bill. Here’s What’s in It." by Margot Sanger-Katz and Alicia Parlapiano (New York Times, 2025).
  • "Correcting the Top 10 Tax Myths," by Jessica Riedl (Manhattan Institute, 2024).
  • "Spending, Taxes, and Deficits: A Book of Charts," by Jessica Riedl (Manhattan Institute, 2024).
  • "Why Did Americans Stop Caring About the National Debt?" by Jessica Riedl (Reason, 2024).
  • "A Comprehensive Federal Budget Plan to Avert a Debt Crisis," by Jessica Riedl (Manhattan Institute, 2024).
  • "When Does Federal Debt Reach Unsustainable Levels?" by Jagadeesh Gokhale, Kent Smetters, and Mariko Paulson (The Wharton School of Business, 2023).
  • "The Limits of Taxing the Rich," by Jessica Riedl (Manhattan Institute, 2023).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Farewell to a Generational Talent," by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

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Lina Khan, the youngest F.T.C. chair in history, reset U.S. antitrust policy by thwarting mega-mergers and other monopolistic behavior. This earned her enemies in some places, and big fans in others — including the Trump administration. Stephen Dubner speaks with Khan about her tactics, her track record, and her future.

• SOURCES:
  • Lina Khan, former commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission and professor of law at Columbia Law School.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Merger Guidelines" (U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, 2023).
  • "The Rise of Market Power and the Macroeconomic Implications," by Jan De Loecker, Jan Eeckhout, and Gabriel Unger (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2019).
  • "US Antitrust Law and Policy in Historical Perspective," by Laura Phillips Sawyer (Harvard Business School, 2019).
  • The Curse of Bigness: Antitrust in the New Gilded Age, by Tim Wu (2018).
  • "Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox," by Lina Khan (Yale Law Journal, 2017).
  • "A Tempest In a Coffee Shop," by Tanya Mohn (New York Times, 2004).

• EXTRAS:
  • "The Economics of Eyeglasses," by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "Should You Trust Private Equity to Take Care of Your Dog?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • "Are Private Equity Firms Plundering the U.S. Economy?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • "Is the U.S. Really Less Corrupt Than China — and How About Russia? (Update)" by Freakonomics Radio (2022).

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It’s a powerful biological response that has preserved our species for millennia. But now it may be keeping us from pursuing strategies that would improve the environment, the economy, even our own health. So is it time to dial down our disgust reflex?  You can help fix things — as Stephen Dubner does in this 2021 episode — by chowing down on some delicious insects.

• SOURCES:
  • Paul Rozin, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Val Curtis, late disgustologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
  • Sandro Ambuehl, economist at the University of Zurich.
  • Emily Kimmins, R&D lead for the sensory and consumer-science team for Kraft Heinz.
  • Iliana Sermeno, former chef at The Black Ant.

• RESOURCES:
  • “Stink Bugs Could Add Cilantro Flavor to Red Wine,” by Alex Berezow (Live Science, 2017).
  • “Edible insects: Future Prospects for Food and Feed Security,” by the F.A.O. (United Nations, 2013).
  • “I Hate to Break it to You, but You Already Eat Bugs,” by Kyle Hill (Scientific American, 2013).
  • “Five Banned Foods and One That Maybe Should Be,” by Leah Binkovitz (Smithsonian Magazine, 2012).
  • “Effects of Different Types of Antismoking Ads on Reducing Disparities in Smoking Cessation Among Socioeconomic Subgroups,” by Sarah J. Durkin, Lois Biener, and Melanie A. Wakefield (American Journal of Public Health, 2009).
  • “Flesh Trade,” by Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt (The New York Times, 2006).
  • “Feeding Poultry Litter to Beef Cattle,” by Jay Daniel and K.C. Olson (University of Missouri, 2005).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Why Does Everyone Hate Rats?" by Freakonomics Radio (2025).

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To most people, the rat is vile and villainous. But not to everyone! We hear from a scientist who befriended rats and another who worked with them in the lab — and from the animator who made one the hero of a Pixar blockbuster. (Part three of a three-part series, “Sympathy for the Rat.”)

• SOURCES:
  • Bethany Brookshire, author of Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains
  • Jan Pinkava, creator and co-writer of "Ratatouille," and director of the Animation Institute at the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg.
  • Julia Zichello, evolutionary biologist at Hunter College.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Weekend Column: Rat’s End, or, How a Rat Dies," by Julia Zichello (West Side Rag, 2024).
  • Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains by Bethany Brookshire (2022).
  • "Rats: the history of an incendiary cartoon trope," by Archie Bland (The Guardian, 2015).
  • "Catching the Rat: Understanding Multiple and Contradictory Human-Rat Relations as Situated Practices," by Koen Beumer (Society & Animals, 2014).
  • "Effects of Chronic Methylphenidate on Dopamine/Serotonin Interactions in the Mesolimbic DA System of the Mouse," by Bethany Brookshire (Wake Forest University, 2010).
  • "A New Deal For Mice," by C.C. Little (Scientific American, 1935).

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Even with a new rat czar, an arsenal of poisons, and a fleet of new garbage trucks, it won’t be easy — because, at root, the enemy is us. (Part two of a three-part series, “Sympathy for the Rat.”)

• SOURCES:
  • Kathy Corradi, director of rodent mitigation for New York City.
  • Robert Corrigan, urban rodentologist and pest consultant for New York City.
  • Ed Glaeser, professor of economics at Harvard University.
  • Robert Sullivan, author of Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City’s Most Unwanted Inhabitant.
  • Jessica Tisch, New York City police commissioner.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Increasing rat numbers in cities are linked to climate warming, urbanization, and human population," by Jonathan Richardson, Elizabeth McCoy, Nicholas Parlavecchio, Ryan Szykowny, Eli Beech-Brown, Jan Buijs, Jacqueline Buckley, Robert Corrigan, Federico Costa, Ray Delaney, Rachel Denny, Leah Helms, Wade Lee, Maureen Murray, Claudia Riegel, Fabio Souza, John Ulrich, Adena Why, and Yasushi Kiyokawa (Science Advances, 2025).
  • "The Next Frontier in New York's War on Rats: Birth Control," by Emma Fitzsimmons (New York Times, 2024).
  • "The Absurd Problem of New York City Trash," by Emily Badger and Larry Buchanan (New York Times, 2024).
  • "Mourning Flaco, the Owl Who Escaped," by Naaman Zhou (The New Yorker, 2024).
  • Rats: Observations on the History & Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants, by Robert Sullivan (2005).

• EXTRAS:
  • "The Downside of Disgust," by Freakonomics Radio (2021)

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A brief meditation on loss, relativity, and the vagaries of show business.

• RESOURCES:
  • Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry, documentary (2021)
  • Genius & Anxiety: How Jews Changed the World, 1847-1947, by Norman Lebrecht (2019)
  • The War Room, documentary (1993)

• EXTRAS:
  • “Is San Francisco a Failed State? (And Other Questions You Shouldn’t Ask the Mayor)” by Freakonomics Radio (2025)
  • “Ari Emanuel Is Never Indifferent,” by Freakonomics Radio (2023)

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New York City’s mayor calls them “public enemy number one.” History books say they caused the Black Death — although recent scientific evidence disputes that claim. So is the rat a scapegoat? And what does our rat hatred say about us? (Part one of a three-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Bethany Brookshire, author of Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains.
  • Kathy Corradi, director of rodent mitigation for New York City.
  • Ed Glaeser, professor of economics at Harvard University.
  • Nils Stenseth, professor of ecology and evolution at the University of Oslo.

• RESOURCES:
  • "On Patrol With the Rat Czar," by Mark Chiusano (Intelligencer, 2024).
  • "How Rats Took Over North America," by Allison Parshall (Scientific American, 2024).
  • "Where Are the Rats in New York City," by Matt Yan (New York Times, 2024).
  • "Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains" by Bethany Brookshire (2023).
  • "Human ectoparasites and the spread of plague in Europe during the Second Pandemic," by Nils Stenseth, Katharine Dean, Fabienne Krauer, Lars Walløe, Ole Christian Lingjærde, Barbara Bramanti, and Boris Schmid (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2018).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Freakonomics Radio Live: 'Jesus Could Have Been a Pigeon.'" by Freakonomics Radio (2018).

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Licensing began with medicine and law; now it extends to 20 percent of the U.S. workforce, including hair stylists and auctioneers. In a new book, the legal scholar Rebecca Allensworth calls licensing boards “a thicket of self-dealing and ineptitude” and says they keep bad workers in their jobs and good ones out — while failing to protect the public.

• SOURCES:
  • Rebecca Allensworth, professor of law at Vanderbilt University.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The Licensing Racket: How We Decide Who Is Allowed to Work, and Why It Goes Wrong" by Rebecca Allensworth (2025).
  • "Licensed to Pill," by Rebecca Allensworth (The New York Review of Books, 2020).
  • "Licensing Occupations: Ensuring Quality or Restricting Competition?" by Morris Kleiner (W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, 2006).
  • "How Much of Barrier to Entry is Occupational Licensing?" by Peter Blair and Bobby Chung (British Journal of Industrial Relations, 2019).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Is Ozempic as Magical as It Sounds?" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

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In 2023, the N.F.L. players’ union conducted a workplace survey that revealed clogged showers, rats in the locker room — and some insights for those of us who don’t play football. Today we’re updating that episode, with extra commentary from Omnipresent Football Guy (and former Philadelphia Eagle) Jason Kelce. 

• SOURCES:
  • Tom Garfinkel, vice chairman, C.E.O., and president of the Miami Dolphins.
  • Jim Ivler, certified contract advisor for players in the National Football League.
  • Jason Kelce, host of New Heights podcast and former center for the Philadelphia Eagles.
  • Jalen Reeves-Maybin, linebacker for the Detroit Lions and president of the National Football League Players Association.
  • Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics at the University of Michigan.
  • J.C. Tretter, former president of the National Football League Players Association and former offensive lineman.
  • Mark Wilf, owner and president of the Minnesota Vikings.

• RESOURCES:
  • “N.F.L. Player Team Report Cards,” by the National Football League Players Association (2024).
  • "NFLPA team report cards: Dolphins rank No. 1; Jaguars jump from 28th to fifth; Commanders earn worst grade," by Jonathan Jones (CBS Sports, 2024).
  • Kelce, documentary (2023).
  • “The N.F.L. Cast Him Out; He Says That Only Makes Him More Powerful,” by Alex Prewitt (Sports Illustrated, 2022).
  • New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce, (produced by Wave Sports + Entertainment).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Why Don’t Running Backs Get Paid Anymore?" by Freakonomics Radio (2025)
  • “How Does Playing Football Affect Your Health?” by Freakonomics, M.D. (2023).
  • “Why Does the Most Monotonous Job in the World Pay $1 Million?” by Freakonomics Radio (2022).

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They used to be the N.F.L.’s biggest stars, with paychecks to match. Now their salaries are near the bottom, and their careers are shorter than ever. We speak with an analytics guru, an agent, some former running backs (including LeSean McCoy), and the economist Roland Fryer (a former Pop Warner running back himself) to understand why.

• SOURCES:
  • Brian Burke, sports data scientist at ESPN
  • Roland Fryer, professor of economics at Harvard University
  • LeSean McCoy, former running back in the N.F.L. and co-host for Fox's daily studio show, "The Facility"
  • Robert Smith, former running back for the Minnesota Vikings and N.F.L. analyst
  • Robert Turbin, former running back, N.F.L. analyst for CBS Sports HQ, and college football announcer
  • Jeffery Whitney, founder and president at The Sports & Entertainment Group

• RESOURCES:
  • "The Economics of Running Backs," by Roland Fryer (Wall Street Journal, 2024)
  • "Confessions of a Hero-Worshiper," by Stephen Dubner (2007)
  • "The Rest of the Iceberg: An Insider’s View on the World of Sports and Celebrity," by Robert Smith (2004)

• EXTRAS:
  • "Roland Fryer Refuses to Lie to Black America," by Freakonomics Radio (2022)
  • "Why Does the Most Monotonous Job in the World Pay $1 Million?" by Freakonomics Radio (2022)

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When the computer scientist Ben Zhao learned that artists were having their work stolen by A.I. models, he invented a tool to thwart the machines. He also knows how to foil an eavesdropping Alexa and how to guard your online footprint. The big news, he says, is that the A.I. bubble is bursting.

• SOURCES:
  • Erik Brynjolfsson, professor of economics at Stanford University
  • Ben Zhao, professor of computer science at the University of Chicago

• RESOURCES:
  • "The AI lab waging a guerrilla war over exploitative AI," by Melissa Heikkilä (MIT Technology Review, 2024)
  • "Glaze: Protecting Artists from Style Mimicry by Text-to-Image Models," by Shawn Shan, Jenna Cryan, Emily Wenger, Haitao Zheng, Rana Hanocka, and Ben Y. Zhao (Cornell University, 2023)
  • "Nightshade: Prompt-Specific Poisoning Attacks on Text-to-Image Generative Models," by Shawn Shan, Wenxin Ding, Josephine Passananti, Stanley Wu, Haitao Zheng, and Ben Y. Zhao (Cornell University, 2023)
  • "A Brief History of Artificial Intelligence: What It Is, Where We Are, and Where We Are Going," by Michael Woodridge (2021)

• EXTRAS:
  • "Nuclear Power Isn’t Perfect. Is It Good Enough?" by Freakonomics Radio (2022)

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Stephen Dubner, live on stage, mixes it up with outbound mayor London Breed, and asks economists whether A.I. can be “human-centered” and if Tang is a gateway drug.

• SOURCES:
  • London Breed, former mayor of San Francisco.
  • Erik Brynjolfsson, professor of economics at Stanford University
  • Koleman Strumpf, professor of economics at Wake Forest University

• RESOURCES:
  • "SF crime rate at lowest point in more than 20 years, mayor says," by George Kelly (The San Francisco Standard, 2025)
  • "How the Trump Whale and Prediction Markets Beat the Pollsters in 2024," by Niall Ferguson and Manny Rincon-Cruz (Wall Street Journal, 2024)
  • "Artificial Intelligence, Scientific Discovery, and Product Innovation," by Aidan Toner-Rodgers (MIT Department of Economics, 2024)

• EXTRAS:
  • "Why Are Cities (Still) So Expensive?" by Freakonomics Radio (2020)

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Their trade organization just lost a huge lawsuit. Their infamous commission model is under attack. And there are way too many of them. If they go the way of travel agents, will we miss them when they’re gone?

• SOURCES:
  • Sonia Gilbukh, assistant professor of real estate at CUNY Baruch College.
  • Kevin Sears, 2025 president of the National Association of Realtors.
  • Chad Syverson, professor of economics at the University of Chicago.
  • Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Heterogeneous Real Estate Agents and the Housing Cycle," by Sonia Gilbukh and Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham (NBER Working Paper, 2024).
  • "Real Estate Commissions and Homebuying," by Borys Grochulski and Zhu Wang (Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Working Paper, 2024).
  • "The Relationship Between Home Prices and Real Estate Commission Rates: Implications for Consumers and Public Policy," by Stephen Brobeck (Consumer Federation of America, 2022).
  • "The Relationship of Residential Real Estate Commission Rate to Industry Structure and Culture," by Stephen Brobeck (Consumer Federation of America, 2021).
  • "Competition in the Real Estate Brokerage Industry: A Critical Review," by Panle Jia Barwick and Maisy Wong (Economic Studies at Brookings, 2019).
  • "Hidden Real Estate Commissions: Consumer Costs and Improved Transparency," by Stephen Brobeck (Consumer Federation of America, 2019).
  • "Market Distortions when Agents are Better Informed: The Value of Information in Real Estate Transactions," by Steven D. Levitt and Chad Syverson (NBER Working Paper, 2005).
  • The Residential Real Estate Brokerage Industry, staff report by the Los Angeles Regional Office of the Federal Trade Commission (1983).

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Like tens of millions of people, Stephen Dubner thought he had a penicillin allergy. Like the vast majority, he didn’t. This misdiagnosis costs billions of dollars and causes serious health problems, so why hasn’t it been fixed? And how about all the other things we think we’re allergic to?

• SOURCES:
  • Kimberly Blumenthal, allergist-immunologist and researcher at Mass General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
  • Theresa MacPhail, associate professor of science and technology studies at Stevens Institute of Technology.
  • Thomas Platts-Mills, professor of medicine at the University of Virginia.
  • Elena Resnick, allergist and immunologist at Mount Sinai Hospital.

• RESOURCES:
  • Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World, by Theresa MacPhail (2023).
  • "Evaluation and Management of Penicillin Allergy: A Review," by Erica S. Shenoy, Eric Macy, and Theresa Rowe (JAMA, 2019).
  • "The Allergy Epidemics: 1870–2010," by Thomas Platts-Mills (The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2016).
  • "Randomized Trial of Peanut Consumption in Infants at Risk for Peanut Allergy," by George Du Toit, Graham Roberts, et al. (The New England Journal of Medicine, 2015).

• EXTRAS:
  • Freakonomics, M.D.

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Incarcerated people grow crops, fight wildfires, and manufacture everything from prescription glasses to highway signs — often for pennies an hour. Zachary Crockett takes the next exit, in this special episode of The Economics of Everyday Things.

• SOURCES:
  • Laura Appleman, professor of law at Willamette University.
  • Christopher Barnes, inmate at the Franklin Correctional Center.
  • Lee Blackman, general manager at Correction Enterprises.
  • Gene Hawkins, senior principal engineer at Kittelson and professor emeritus of civil engineering at Texas A&M University.
  • Renee Roach, state signing and delineation engineer for the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
  • Brian Scott, ex-inmate, former worker at the Correction Enterprises printing plant.
  • Louis Southall, warden of Franklin Correctional Center.

• RESOURCES:
  • “Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways, 11th Edition,” by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (2023).
  • “Prisoners in the U.S. Are Part of a Hidden Workforce Linked to Hundreds of Popular Food Brands,” by Robin McDowell and Margie Mason (AP News, 2024).
  • “Ex-Prisoners Face Headwinds as Job Seekers, Even as Openings Abound,” by Talmon Joseph Smith (The New York Times, 2023).
  • “Bloody Lucre: Carceral Labor and Prison Profit,” by Laura Appleman (Wisconsin Law Review, 2022).
  • “The Road to Clarity,” by Joshua Yaffa (The New York Times Magazine, 2007).
  • Correction Enterprises.

• EXTRAS:
  • “Do People Pay Attention to Signs?” by No Stupid Questions (2022).
  • The Economics of Everyday Things.

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Probably not — the incentives are too strong. But a few reformers are trying. We check in on their progress, in an update to an episode originally published last year. (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 for Open Science.
  • Ivan Oransky, distinguished journalist-in-residence at New York University, editor-in-chief of The Transmitter, and co-founder of Retraction Watch.
  • Joseph Simmons, professor of applied statistics and operations, information, and decisions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Uri Simonsohn, professor of behavioral science at Esade Business School.
  • Simine Vazire, professor of psychology at the University of Melbourne and editor-in-chief of Psychological Science.

• RESOURCES:
  • "How a Scientific Dispute Spiralled Into a Defamation Lawsuit," by Gideon Lewis-Kraus (The New Yorker, 2024).
  • "The Harvard Professor and the Bloggers," by Noam Scheiber (The New York Times, 2023).
  • "They Studied Dishonesty. Was Their Work a Lie?" by Gideon Lewis-Kraus (The New Yorker, 2023).
  • "Evolving Patterns of Extremely Productive Publishing Behavior Across Science," by John P.A. Ioannidis, Thomas A. Collins, and Jeroen Baas (bioRxiv, 2023).
  • "Hindawi Reveals Process for Retracting More Than 8,000 Paper Mill Articles," (Retraction Watch, 2023).
  • "Exclusive: Russian Site Says It Has Brokered Authorships for More Than 10,000 Researchers," (Retraction Watch, 2019).
  • "How Many Scientists Fabricate and Falsify Research? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Survey Data," by Daniele Fanelli (PLOS One, 2009).
  • Lifecycle Journal.

• EXTRAS:
  • "Why Is There So Much Fraud in Academia? (Update)" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "Freakonomics Goes to College, Part 1," by Freakonomics Radio (2012).

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Some of the biggest names in behavioral science stand accused of faking their results. Last year, an astonishing 10,000 research papers were retracted. In a series originally published in early 2024, 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 the University of Virginia and executive director at the Center for Open Science.
  • Joseph Simmons, professor of applied statistics and operations, information, and decisions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Uri Simonsohn, professor of behavioral science at Esade Business School.
  • Simine Vazire, professor of psychology at the University of Melbourne and editor-in-chief of Psychological Science.

• RESOURCES:
  • "More Than 10,000 Research Papers Were Retracted in 2023 — a New Record," by Richard Van Noorden (Nature, 2023).
  • "Data Falsificada (Part 1): 'Clusterfake,'" by Joseph Simmons, Leif Nelson, and Uri Simonsohn (Data Colada, 2023).
  • "Fabricated Data in Research About Honesty. You Can't Make This Stuff Up. Or, Can You?" by Nick Fountain, Jeff Guo, Keith Romer, and Emma Peaslee (Planet Money, 2023).
  • Complicit: How We Enable the Unethical and How to Stop, by Max Bazerman (2022).
  • "Evidence of Fraud in an Influential Field Experiment About Dishonesty," by Joseph Simmons, Leif Nelson, and Uri Simonsohn (Data Colada, 2021).
  • "False-Positive Psychology: Undisclosed Flexibility in Data Collection and Analysis Allows Presenting Anything as Significant," by Joseph Simmons, Leif Nelson, and Uri Simonsohn (Psychological Science, 2011).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Why Do We Cheat, and Why Shouldn’t We?" by No Stupid Questions (2023).
  • "Is Everybody Cheating These Days?" by No Stupid Questions (2021).

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David Eagleman upends myths and describes the vast possibilities of a brainscape that even neuroscientists are only beginning to understand. Steve Levitt interviews him in this special episode of People I (Mostly) Admire.

• SOURCES:
  • David Eagleman, professor of cognitive neuroscience at Stanford University and C.E.O. of Neosensory.

• RESOURCES:
  • Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain, by David Eagleman (2020).
  • "Why Do We Dream? A New Theory on How It Protects Our Brains," by David Eagleman and Don Vaughn (TIME, 2020).
  • "Prevalence of Learned Grapheme-Color Pairings in a Large Online Sample of Synesthetes," by Nathan Witthoft, Jonathan Winawer, and David Eagleman (PLoS One, 2015).
  • Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives, by David Eagleman (2009).
  • The vOICe app.
  • Neosensory.

• EXTRAS:
  • "Feeling Sound and Hearing Color," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).
  • "What’s Impacting American Workers?" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).
  • "This Is Your Brain on Podcasts," by Freakonomics Radio (2016).

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Adam Moss was the best magazine editor of his generation. When he retired, he took up painting. But he wasn’t very good, and that made him sad. So he wrote a book about how creative people work— and, in the process, he made himself happy again.

• SOURCE:
  • Adam Moss, magazine editor and author.

• RESOURCES:
  • The Work of Art: How Something Comes from Nothing, by Adam Moss (2024).
  • "Goodbye, New York. Adam Moss Is Leaving the Magazine He Has Edited for 15 Years," by Michael M. Grynbaum (The New York Times, 2019).
  • Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking, by Samin Nosrat (2017).

• EXTRAS:
  • "David Simon Is On Strike. Here’s Why," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2023).
  • "Samin Nosrat Always Wanted to Be Famous," by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • "What’s Wrong with Being a One-Hit Wonder?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023).

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In a wide-ranging conversation with Ezekiel Emanuel, the policymaking physician and medical gadfly, we discuss the massive effects of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. We also talk about the state of cancer care, mysteries in the gut microbiome, flaws in the U.S. healthcare system — and what a second Trump term means for healthcare policy.

• SOURCES:
  • Ezekiel Emanuel, vice provost for Global Initiatives, co-director of the Health Transformation Institute, and professor at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Obesity Drugs Would Be Covered by Medicare and Medicaid Under Biden Proposal," by Margot Sanger-Katz (The New York Times, 2024).
  • "International Coverage of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: A Review and Ethical Analysis of Discordant Approaches," by Johan L. Dellgren, and Govind Persad, and Ezekiel J. Emanuel (The Lancet, 2024).
  • The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century's Greatest Dilemma, by Mustafa Suleyman (2023).
  • "The Significance of Blockbusters in the Pharmaceutical Industry," by Alexander Schuhmacher, Markus Hinder, Nikolaj Boger, Dominik Hartl, and Oliver Gassmann (Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 2022).
  • Reinventing American Health Care: How the Affordable Care Act Will Improve Our Terribly Complex, Blatantly Unjust, Outrageously Expensive, Grossly Inefficient, Error Prone System, by Ezekiel J. Emanuel (2014).
  • "Why I Hope to Die at 75," by Ezekiel J. Emanuel (The Atlantic, 2014).
  • "Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Pharmaceuticals," by Ziad F. Gellad and Kenneth W. Lyles (The American Journal of Medicine, 2014).
  • Brothers Emanuel: A Memoir of an American Family, by Ezekiel J. Emanuel (2013).
  • "Bounds in Competing Risks Models and the War on Cancer," by Bo E. Honoré and Adriana Lleras-Muney (Econometrica, 2006).

• EXTRAS:
  • "How to Fix Medical Research," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).
  • "The Suddenly Diplomatic Rahm Emanuel," by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • "Ari Emanuel Is Never Indifferent," by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • "Who Pays for Multimillion-Dollar Miracle Cures?" by Freakonomics, M.D. (2023).
  • "Who Gets the Ventilator?" by Freakonomics Radio (2020).

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Last week, we heard a former U.S. ambassador describe Russia’s escalating conflict with the U.S. Today, we revisit a 2019 episode about an overlooked front in the Cold War — a “farms race” that, decades later, still influences what Americans eat.

• SOURCES:
  • Anne Effland, former Senior Economist for the Office of Chief Economist in the U.S.D.A.
  • Shane Hamilton, historian at the University of York.
  • Peter Timmer, economist and former professor at Harvard University.
  • Audra Wolfe, writer, editor, and historian.

• RESOURCES:
  • Freedom’s Laboratory: The Cold War Struggle for the Soul of Science, by Audra Wolfe (2018).
  • Supermarket USA: Food and Power in The Cold War Farms Race, by Shane Hamilton (2018).
  • “Association of Higher Consumption of Foods Derived From Subsidized Commodities With Adverse Cardiometabolic Risk Among US Adults,” by Karen R. Siegel, Kai McKeever Bullard, K. M. Narayan, et al. (JAMA Internal Medicine, 2016).
  • The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living Since the Civil War, by Robert J. Gordon (2016).
  • “How the Mechanical Tomato Harvester Prompted the Food Movement,” by Ildi Carlisle-Cummins (UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences Newsletter, 2015).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Is the U.S. Sleeping on Threats from Russia and China?" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

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John J. Sullivan, a former State Department official and U.S. ambassador, says yes: “Our politicians aren’t leading — Republicans or Democrats.” He gives a firsthand account of a fateful Biden-Putin encounter, talks about his new book Midnight in Moscow, and predicts what a second Trump term means for Russia, Ukraine, China — and the U.S.

• SOURCES:
  • John Sullivan, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia. 

• RESOURCES:
  • Midnight in Moscow: A Memoir from the Front Lines of Russia's War Against the West, by John Sullivan (2024).
  • "The ‘Deathonomics’ Powering Russia’s War Machine," by Georgi Kantchev and Matthew Luxmoore (The Wall Street Journal, 2024).
  • War, by Bob Woodward (2024).
  • "On the Record: The U.S. Administration’s Actions on Russia," by Alina Polyakova and Filippos Letsas (Brookings, 2019).
  • "Why Economic Sanctions Still Do Not Work," by Robert A. Pape (International Security, 1998).

• EXTRAS:
  • "The Suddenly Diplomatic Rahm Emanuel," by Freakonomics Radio (2023).

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Macy’s wants to recapture its glorious past. The author of the Wimpy Kid books wants to rebuild his dilapidated hometown. We just want to listen in. (Part two of a two-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Mark Cohen, former professor and director of retail studies at Columbia Business School.
  • Will Coss, vice president and executive producer of Macy’s Studios.
  • Jeff Kinney, author, cartoonist, and owner of An Unlikely Story Bookstore and Café.
  • Tony Spring, chairman and C.E.O. of Macy’s Inc.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Macy’s Discovers Employee Hid Millions in Delivery Expenses," by Jordyn Holman and Danielle Kaye (The New York Times, 2024).
  • "NBC Ready to Pay Triple to Gobble Up Thanksgiving Parade Broadcast Rights," by Joe Flint (The Wall Street Journal, 2024).
  • "How Macy’s Set Out to Conquer the Department Store Business — and Lost," by Daphne Howland (Retail Dive, 2022).
  • An Unlikely Story Bookstore and Café.

• EXTRA:
  • "Can the Macy's Parade Save Macy's?" series by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

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The 166-year-old chain, which is fighting extinction, calls the parade its “gift to the nation.” With 30 million TV viewers, it’s also a big moneymaker. At least we think it is — Macy’s is famously tight-lipped about parade economics. We try to loosen them up. (Part one of a two-part series.)

Please take our audience survey at freakonomics.com/survey.

• SOURCES:
  • John Cheney, carpenter at Macy’s Studios.
  • Will Coss, vice president and executive producer of Macy’s Studios.
  • Jeff Kinney, author, cartoonist, and owner of An Unlikely Story Bookstore and Café.
  • Kevin Lynch, vice president of global helium at Messer.
  • Jen Neal, executive vice president of live events and specials for NBCUniversal Entertainment
  • Tony Spring, chairman and C.E.O. of Macy's Inc.
  • Jessica Tisch, commissioner of the New York City Department of Sanitation; incoming commissioner of the New York City Police Department.
  • Dawn Tolson, executive director of Citywide Event Coordination and Management and the Street Activity Permit Office for the City of New York.

• RESOURCES:
  • Macy's: The Store. The Star. The Story., by Robert M. Grippo (2009).
  • History of Macy's of New York, 1853-1919: Chapters in the Evolution of the Department Store, by Ralph M. Hower (1943).
  • Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

• EXTRA:
  • The Economics of Everyday Things. 

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It’s true that robots (and other smart technologies) will kill many jobs. It may also be true that newer collaborative robots (“cobots”) will totally reinvigorate how work gets done. That, at least, is what the economists are telling us. Should we believe them?

• SOURCES:
  • David Autor, professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  • James Rosenman, C.E.O. of Andrus on Hudson senior care community.
  • Karen Eggleston, economist at Stanford University.
  • Yong Suk Lee, professor of technology, economy, and global affairs at the University of Notre Dame.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Robots and Labor in Nursing Homes," by Yong Suk Lee, Toshiaki Iizuka, and Karen Eggleston (NBER Working Paper, 2024).
  • "Global Robotics Race: Korea, Singapore and Germany in the Lead," by International Federation of Robotics (2024).
  • "Unmet Need for Equipment to Help With Bathing and Toileting Among Older US Adults," by Kenneth Lam, Ying Shi, John Boscardin, and Kenneth E. Covinsky (JAMA Internal Medicine, 2021).
  • "Robots and Labor in the Service Sector: Evidence from Nursing Homes," by Karen Eggleston, Yong Suk Lee, and Toshiaki Iizuka (NBER Working Papers, 2021).
  • The Work of the Future: Building Better Jobs in an Age of Intelligent Machines, by David Autor, David Mindell, Elisabeth Reynolds, and the MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future (2020).
  • "Robots and Jobs: Evidence from US Labor Markets," by Daron Acemoglu and Pascual Restrepo (University of Chicago Press, 2020).
  • "The Slowdown in Productivity Growth and Policies That Can Restore It," by Emily Moss, Ryan Nunn, and Jay Shambaugh (The Hamilton Project, 2020).
  • "The China Shock: Learning from Labor Market Adjustment to Large Changes in Trade," by David H. Autor, David Dorn, and Gordon H. Hanson (NBER Working Papers, 2016).
  • "Deregulation at Heart of Japan's New Robotics Revolution," by Sophie Knight and Kaori Kaneko (Reuters, 2014).

• EXTRAS:
  • "What Do People Do All Day?" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "Did China Eat America’s Jobs?" by Freakonomics Radio (2017).

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After a dramatic election, Donald Trump has returned from exile. We hear what to expect at home and abroad — and what to do if you didn’t vote for Trump.

SOURCE:

• Fareed Zakaria, journalist and author.

RESOURCES:

• "The Most Dangerous Moment Since the Cold War," by Fareed Zakaria (The Washington Post, 2024).
• "America’s Failed Approach to Iran Can’t Really Be Called a Strategy," by Fareed Zakaria (The Washington Post, 2024).
• Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present, by Fareed Zakaria (2024).

EXTRAS:

• "Are We Living Through the Most Revolutionary Period in History?" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
• "Are Private Equity Firms Plundering the U.S. Economy?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023).

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Some people want the new cannabis economy to look like the craft-beer movement. Others are hoping to build the Amazon of pot. And one expert would prefer a government-run monopoly. We listen in as they fight it out. (Part four of a four-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Jon Caulkins, professor of operations research and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University.
  • Adam Goers, senior vice president of The Cannabist Company and chairperson of the Coalition for Cannabis Scheduling Reform.
  • Yasmin Hurd, director of the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai.
  • Jared Polis, governor of Colorado.
  • Ryan Stoa, associate professor of law at Louisiana State University.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Prevalence of and Trends in Current Cannabis Use Among U.S. Youth and Adults, 2013–2022," by Delvon T. Mattingly, Maggie K. Richardson, and Joy L. Hart (Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports, 2024).
  • "Colorado’s Weed Market Is Coming Down Hard and It’s Making Other States Nervous," by Mona Zhang (Politico, 2024).
  • "Reducing Alcohol Consumption, the Nordic Way: Alcohol Monopolies, Marketing Bans and Higher Taxation," by the World Health Organization (2023).
  • "Economic Benefits and Social Costs of Legalizing Recreational Marijuana," by Jason P. Brown, Elior Cohen, and Alison Felix (Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Research Working Paper, 2023).
  • "Competition in the Markets for Beer, Wine, and Spirits," by the United States Department of the Treasury (2022).
  • "Alcohol Monopolies," by Robin Room (Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems, 2021).
  • "Craft Beer Is the Strangest, Happiest Economic Story in America," by Derek Thompson (The Atlantic, 2018).
  • "Marijuana Discontinuation, Anxiety Symptoms, and Relapse to Marijuana," by Marcel O. Bonn-Miller and Rudolf H. Moos (Addictive Behaviors, 2009).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Is America Switching from Booze to Weed?" series by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "Why Do Your Eyeglasses Cost $1,000?" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "Should You Trust Private Equity to Take Care of Your Dog?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • "Is Dialysis a Test Case of Medicare for All?" by Freakonomics Radio (2021).

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Chris Weld worked for years in emergency rooms, then ditched that career and bought an old farm in Massachusetts. He set up a distillery and started making prize-winning spirits. When cannabis was legalized, he jumped into that too — and the first few years were lucrative. But now? It turns out that growing, processing, and selling weed is more complicated than it looks. He gave us the grand tour.  (Part three of a four-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Chris Bennett, operations manager at Berkshire Mountain Distillers.
  • Luca Boldrini, head of cultivation at The Pass.
  • Yasmin Hurd, director of the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai.
  • Chris Weld, founder and owner of Berkshire Mountain Distillers.

• RESOURCES:
  • "As America’s Marijuana Use Grows, So Do the Harms," by Megan Twohey, Danielle Ivory, and Carson Kessler (The New York Times, 2024).
  • "Evaluation of Dispensaries’ Cannabis Flowers for Accuracy of Labeling of Cannabinoids Content," by Mona M. Geweda, Chandrani G. Majumdar, Mahmoud A. ElSohly, et al. (Journal of Cannabis Research, 2024).
  • "The Complicated, Risky — but Potentially Lucrative — Business of Selling Cannabis," by James R. Hagerty (The Wall Street Journal, 2023).
  • "Marijuana Content Labels Can’t Be Trusted," by Shira Schoenberg (CommonWealth Beacon, 2022).
  • "Growing Cannabis Indoors Produces a Lot of Greenhouse Gases — Just How Much Depends on Where It’s Grown," by Jason Quinn and Hailey Summers (The Conversation, 2021).
  • "Blood and Urinary Metal Levels Among Exclusive Marijuana Users in NHANES (2005-2018)," by Katlyn E. McGraw, Anne E, Nigra, Tiffany R. Sanchez, et al. (Environmental Health Perspectives, 2018).
  • "The Carbon Footprint of Indoor Cannabis Production," by Evan Mills (Energy Policy, 2012).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Cannabis Is Booming, So Why Isn’t Anyone Getting Rich?" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "Is America Switching From Booze to Weed?" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

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With abortion on the Nov. 5 ballot, we look back at Steve Levitt’s controversial research about an unintended consequence of Roe v. Wade.

• SOURCES:
  • John Donohue, professor of law at Stanford Law School.
  • Steve Levitt, professor emeritus of economics at the University of Chicago and host of People I (Mostly) Admire.
  • Jessica Wolpaw Reyes, professor of economics at Amherst College.

• RESOURCES:
  • “The Impact of Legalized Abortion on Crime Over the Last Two Decades,” by John J. Donohue and Steven D. Levitt (The National Bureau of Economic Research, 2019).
  • “The Demise of the Death Penalty in Connecticut,” by John J. Donohue (Stanford Law School Legal Aggregate, 2016).
  • “Environmental Policy as Social Policy? The Impact of Childhood Lead Exposure on Crime,” by Jessica Wolpaw Reyes (The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, 2007).
  • “The Impact of Legalized Abortion on Crime,” by John J. Donohue and Steven D. Levitt (The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2001).
  • “State Abortion Rates: The Impact of Policies, Providers, Politics, Demographics, and Economic Environment,” by Rebecca M. Blank, Christine C. George, and Rebecca A. London (The National Bureau of Economic Research, 1994).

• EXTRAS:
  • "John Donohue: 'I’m Frequently Called a Treasonous Enemy of the Constitution,'" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2021).

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There are a lot of reasons, including heavy regulations, high taxes, and competition from illegal weed shops. Most operators are losing money and waiting for Washington to get out of the way. In the meantime, it’s not that easy being green. (Part two of a four-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Jon Caulkins, professor of operations research and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University.
  • Adam Goers, senior vice president of The Cannabist Company and chairperson of the Coalition for Cannabis Scheduling Reform.
  • Precious Osagie-Erese, founder and C.E.O. of Precious Canna Co.
  • Nikesh Patel, C.E.O. of Mammoth Distribution.
  • Nikesh Patel, director of the San Francisco Office of Cannabis.
  • Tom Standage, deputy editor of The Economist.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Most Americans Favor Legalizing Marijuana for Medical, Recreational Use," (Pew Research Center, 2024).
  • "Whitney Economics U.S. Legal Cannabis Forecast - 2024 - 2035," by Beau Whitney (Whitney Economics, 2024).
  • "Beer Sellers Use a Loophole to Break Into Weed Drinks Market," by Redd Brown (Bloomberg, 2024).
  • "Cannabis Producer Seeks Boston Beer Merger," by Lauren Thomas (The Wall Street Journal, 2024).
  • "California's 'Apple Store of Weed' Declares Bankruptcy With $410M in Debt," by Lester Black (SFGate, 2024).
  • "Is the State Democratic Chair Influencing Who Can Sell Legal Weed in this N.J. City?" by Jelani Gibson (NJ.com, 2023).
  • "When Prohibition Works: Comparing Fireworks and Cannabis Regulations, Markets, and Harms," by Jonathan P. Caulkins and Kristina Vaia Reimer (International Journal of Drug Policy, 2023).
  • "Did Minnesota Accidentally Legalize Weed?" by Paul Demko (Politico, 2022).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Is America Switching From Booze to Weed?" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "The Economics of Sports Gambling," by Freakonomics Radio (2019).

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We have always been a nation of drinkers — but now there are more daily users of cannabis than alcohol. Considering alcohol’s harms, maybe that’s a good thing. But some people worry that the legalization of cannabis has outpaced the research. (Part one of a four-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Jon Caulkins, professor of operations research and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University.
  • Yasmin Hurd, director of the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai.
  • Michael Siegel, professor of public health and community medicine at Tufts University.
  • Tom Standage, deputy editor of The Economist.
  • Ryan Stoa, associate professor of law at Louisiana State University.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Cannabis Tops Alcohol as Americans’ Daily Drug of Choice," by Christina Caron (The New York Times, 2024).
  • "Deaths from Excessive Alcohol Use — United States, 2016–2021," by Marissa B. Esser, Adam Sherk, Yong Liu, and Timothy S. Naimi (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2024).
  • "Nixon Started the War on Drugs. Privately, He Said Pot Was ‘Not Particularly Dangerous,'" by Ernesto Londoño (The New York Times, 2024).
  • "A Brief Global History of the War on Cannabis," by Ryan Stoa (The MIT Press Reader, 2020).
  • Craft Weed: Family Farming and the Future of the Marijuana Industry, by Ryan Stoa (2018).
  • "How the Sugar Industry Shifted Blame to Fat," by Anahad O’Connor (The New York Times, 2016).
  • "The Perils of Ignoring History: Big Tobacco Played Dirty and Millions Died. How Similar Is Big Food?" by Kelly D. Brownell and Kenneth E. Warner (The Milbank Quarterly, 2009).
  • A History Of The World In Six Glasses, by Tom Standage (2005).
  • "Cancer and Coronary Artery Disease Among Seventh-Day Adventists," by E. L. Wynder, F. R. Lemon, and I. J. Bross (Cancer, 1959).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Why Is the Opioid Epidemic Still Raging?" series by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "Daron Acemoglu on Economics, Politics, and Power," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).
  • "Let’s Be Blunt: Marijuana Is a Boon for Older Workers," by Freakonomics Radio (2021).
  • "What’s More Dangerous: Marijuana or Alcohol?" by Freakonomics Radio (2014).

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Are betting markets more accurate than polls? What kind of chaos would a second Trump term bring? And is U.S. democracy really in danger, or just “sputtering on”? (Part two of a two-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Eric Posner, professor of law at the University of Chicago Law School.
  • Koleman Strumpf, professor of economics at Wake Forest University.

• RESOURCES:
  • "A Trump Dictatorship Won’t Happen," by Eric Posner (Project Syndicate, 2023).
  • The Demagogue's Playbook: The Battle for American Democracy from the Founders to Trump, by Eric Posner (2020).
  • "The Long History of Political Betting Markets: An International Perspective," by Paul W. Rhode and Koleman Strumpf (The Oxford Handbook of the Economics of Gambling, 2013).
  • "Manipulating Political Stock Markets: A Field Experiment and a Century of Observational Data," by Paul W. Rhode and Koleman S. Strumpf (Working Paper, 2007).
  • "Historical Presidential Betting Markets," by Paul W. Rhode and Koleman S. Strumpf (Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2004).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Has the U.S. Presidency Become a Dictatorship? (Update)," by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • “Does the President Matter as Much as You Think?” by Freakonomics Radio (2020).
  • "How Much Does the President Really Matter?" by Freakonomics Radio (2010).

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Sure, we all pay lip service to the Madisonian system of checks and balances. But presidents have been steadily expanding the reach of the job. With an election around the corner, we updated our 2016 conversation with the legal scholar Eric Posner — who has some good news and some not-so-good news about the power of the presidency. (Part one of a two-part series.)

• SOURCE:
  • Eric Posner, professor of law at the University of Chicago Law School.  

• RESOURCES:
  • "Presidential Leadership and the Separation of Powers," by Eric Posner (Daedalus, 2016).
  • The Executive Unbound: After the Madisonian Republic, by Eric Posner and Adrian Vermeule (2010).

• EXTRA:
  • "Does the President Matter as Much as You Think?" by Freakonomics Radio (2020).

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Sixty percent of the jobs that Americans do today didn’t exist in 1940. What happens as our labor becomes more technical and less physical? And what kinds of jobs will exist in the future? 

• SOURCES:
  • David Autor, professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  • Paula Barmaimon, manager of coverage and audience analytics at The New York Times.
  • Ellen Griesedieck, artist and president of the American Mural Project.
  • Adina Lichtman, co-host of the Our Friends Are Smart party.
  • Avi Popack, co-host of the Our Friends Are Smart party.
  • Huck Scarry, author and illustrator.
  • James Suzman, anthropologist and author.
  • Ben Varon, rabbi and chaplain at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn .

• RESOURCES:
  • "New Frontiers: The Origins and Content of New Work, 1940–2018," by David Autor, Caroline Chin, Anna Salomons, and Bryan Seegmiller (The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2024).
  • Work: A Deep History, from the Stone Age to the Age of Robots, by James Suzman (2020).
  • Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do, by Studs Terkel (1974).
  • What Do People Do All Day?, by Richard Scarry (1968).
  • "Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren," by John Maynard Keynes (1930).
  • American Mural Project.

• EXTRAS:
  • "Will the Democrats 'Make America Great Again'?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • "How to Stop Worrying and Love the Robot Apocalypse," by Freakonomics Radio (2021).
  • "Did China Eat America’s Jobs?" by Freakonomics Radio (2017).
  • People I (Mostly) Admire.

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His research on police brutality and school incentives won him acclaim, but also enemies. He was suspended for two years by Harvard, during which time he took a hard look at corporate diversity programs. As a follow-up to our recent series on the Rooney Rule, we revisit our 2022 conversation with the controversial economist.

• SOURCE:
  • Roland Fryer, professor of economics at Harvard University.

• RESOURCES:
  • "How to Make Up the Covid Learning Loss," by Roland Fryer (Wall Street Journal, 2022).
  • "Roland Fryer on Better Alternatives to Defunding the Police," by Roland Fryer (The Economist, 2020).
  • "Harvard Suspends Roland Fryer, Star Economist, After Sexual Harassment Claims," by Ben Casselman and Jim Tankersley (The New York Times, 2019).
  • "Why Diversity Programs Fail: And What Works Better," by Frank Dobbin and Alexandra Kalev (Harvard Business Review, 2016).
  • "An Empirical Analysis of Racial Differences in Police Use of Force," by Roland G. Fryer, Jr (NBER Working Paper, 2016).
  • "Getting Beneath the Veil of Effective Schools: Evidence from New York City," by Will Dobbie and Roland G. Fryer (American Economics Journal, 2013).
  • "Financial Incentives and Student Achievement: Evidence From Randomized Trials," by Roland G. Fryer (The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2011).
  • "Toward a Unified Theory of Black America," by Stephen J. Dubner (The New York Times, 2005).
  • Equal Opportunity Ventures.
  • Intus Care.
  • Reconstruction.
  • Sigma Squared.

• EXTRAS:
  • "Did the N.F.L. Solve Diversity Hiring?" series by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "The True Story of the Gender Pay Gap," by Freakonomics Radio (2016).
  • "Does “Early Education” Come Way Too Late?" by Freakonomics Radio (2015).

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What happened when the Rooney Rule made its way from pro football to corporate America? Some progress, some backsliding, and a lot of controversy. (Second in a two-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Tynesia Boyea-Robinson, president and C.E.O. of CapEQ.
  • N. Jeremi Duru, professor of law at American University.
  • Herm Edwards, former N.F.L. player and head coach.
  • Christopher Rider, professor of entrepreneurial studies at the University of Michigan.
  • Jim Rooney, author and co-partner of Rooney Consulting.
  • Scott Shephard, general counsel at the National Center for Public Policy Research.

• RESOURCES:
  • The Social Impact Advantage: Win Customers and Talent By Harnessing Your Business For Good, by Tynesia Boyea-Robinson (2022).
  • A Different Way to Win: Dan Rooney’s Story from the Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule, by Jim Rooney (2019).
  • "If There’s Only One Woman in Your Candidate Pool, There’s Statistically No Chance She’ll Be Hired," by Stefanie K. Johnson, David R. Hekman and Elsa T. Chan (Harvard Business Review, 2016).
  • "Racial Disparity in Leadership: Performance-Reward Bias in Promotions of National Football League Coaches," by Christopher I. Rider, James Wade, Anand Swaminathan, and Andreas Schwab (SSRN, 2016).
  • Advancing the Ball: Race, Reformation, and the Quest for Equal Coaching Opportunity in the NFL, by N. Jeremi Duru (2010).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Did the N.F.L. Solve Diversity Hiring? (Part 1)," by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • “When Is a Superstar Just Another Employee?” by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • “How Much Does Discrimination Hurt the Economy? (Replay),” by Freakonomics Radio (2023).

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