780 episodes

Freakonomics co-author Stephen J. Dubner uncovers the hidden side of everything. Why is it safer to fly in an airplane than drive a car? How do we decide whom to marry? Why is the media so full of bad news? Also: things you never knew you wanted to know about wolves, bananas, pollution, search engines, and the quirks of human behavior.

Join the Freakonomics Radio Plus membership program for weekly member-only episodes of Freakonomics Radio. You’ll also get every show in our network without ads. To sign up, visit our show page on Apple Podcasts or go to freakonomics.com/plus.

Freakonomics Radio Freakonomics Radio

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.5 • 29.4K Ratings

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

Freakonomics co-author Stephen J. Dubner uncovers the hidden side of everything. Why is it safer to fly in an airplane than drive a car? How do we decide whom to marry? Why is the media so full of bad news? Also: things you never knew you wanted to know about wolves, bananas, pollution, search engines, and the quirks of human behavior.

Join the Freakonomics Radio Plus membership program for weekly member-only episodes of Freakonomics Radio. You’ll also get every show in our network without ads. To sign up, visit our show page on Apple Podcasts or go to freakonomics.com/plus.

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

    590. Can $55 Billion End the Opioid Epidemic?

    590. Can $55 Billion End the Opioid Epidemic?

    Thanks to legal settlements with drug makers and distributors, states have plenty of money to boost prevention and treatment. Will it work? (Part two of a two-part series.)

    • 40 min
    589. Why Has the Opioid Crisis Lasted So Long?

    589. Why Has the Opioid Crisis Lasted So Long?

    Most epidemics flare up, do their damage, and fade away. This one has been raging for almost 30 years. To find out why, it’s time to ask some uncomfortable questions. (Part one of a two-part series.)

    • 48 min
    Extra: Car Colors & Storage Units

    Extra: Car Colors & Storage Units

    Presenting two stories from "The Economics of Everyday Things": Why does it seem like every car is black, white, or gray these days? And: How self-storage took over America.

    • 35 min
    588. Confessions of a Black Conservative

    588. Confessions of a Black Conservative

    The economist and social critic Glenn Loury has led a remarkably turbulent life, both professionally and personally. In a new memoir, he has chosen to reveal just about everything. Why?

    • 56 min
    587. Should Companies Be Owned by Their Workers?

    587. Should Companies Be Owned by Their Workers?

    The employee ownership movement is growing, and one of its biggest champions is also a private equity heavyweight. Is this meaningful change, or just window dressing?

    • 46 min
    586. How Does the Lost World of Vienna Still Shape Our Lives?

    586. How Does the Lost World of Vienna Still Shape Our Lives?

    From politics and economics to psychology and the arts, many of the modern ideas we take for granted emerged a century ago from a single European capital. In this episode of the Freakonomics Radio Book Club, the historian Richard Cockett explores all those ideas — and how the arrival of fascism can ruin in a few years what took generations to build.

    • 57 min

Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5
29.4K Ratings

29.4K Ratings

Foodaa ,

Thoughtful, wide ranging

I love that the show digs into interesting and important issues and people. Inquiry, evidence, and thoughtfulness are valued, wherever they can be found. I learn something whenever I listen, and often come away thinking differently.

djeieksnrig ,

Love the Unique Perspectives Freeakenomics finds

Great podcast to leave something new, especially if you’re interested in why decisions are made. It’s worth it to go through the early catalogue, where they really focus on unique connections, and podcast titles could be a chapter in their books. Lately it’s more of a focus on individuals being interviewed, with a series every now and then that does a deep dive into a particular topic. Stephen is a great interviewer, and it’s a great research team.

JonnyV33 ,

A decade of excellence.

One of the only podcasts I can think of that has maintained its level of quality for years.

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