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Kai Ryssdal

 
Date
Length

The Decline and Fall of Violence

The world is a more peaceful place today that at any time in history — by a long, long shot.

10/5/11
6:15

Those Cheating Teachers!

High-stakes testing has produced some rotten apples. But they can be caught.

10/19/11
5:18

Wildfires, Cops, and Keggers

An election cycle brings about more than voting around the world. There are many odd by-products, often inspired by how the incentives line up for those in power.

11/2/11
4:53

Unnatural Turkeys

Our appetite for breast meat renders our holiday birds unable to reproduce.

11/17/11
4:38

What Makes a Donor Donate?

The science of charity, with economist John List.

11/30/11
5:17

How American Food Got So Bad

Tyler Cowen points fingers. There’s plenty of blame to go around.

12/14/11
5:21

Does Money Really Buy Elections?

We all know the answer is yes. But the data — and Rudy Giuliani — say no.

1/12/12
5:31

The Hidden Side of the Super Bowl

A football cheat sheet to help you sound like the smartest person at the party.

1/26/12
5:02

Does This Recession Make Me Look Fat?

A look at some non-obvious ways to lose weight.

2/9/12
5:02

The Dilbert Index?

Measuring workplace morale — and how to game the sick-day system.

2/23/12
6:15

It’s Not the President, Stupid

Isn’t it time to admit that the U.S. economy doesn’t have a commander in chief?

3/8/12
5:24

The Patent Gap

Women hold fewer than one in 10 patents. Why? And what are we missing out on?

3/23/12
4:46

The Hidden Cost of False Alarms

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?

4/4/12
5:41

Is Good Corporate Citizenship Also Good for the Bottom Line?

A new study says that yes, it is — but try telling that to the United Nations officials who are preaching sustainability practices.

4/19/12
6:20

A Rose By Any Other Distance

At a time when people worry about every mile their food must travel, why is it okay to import most of our cut flowers from thousands of miles away?

5/2/12
6:48

Retirement Kills

Sure, we all dream of leaving the office forever. But what if it’s bad for your health?

5/16/12
5:36

Playing the Nerd Card

The N.B.A.’s superstars are suddenly sporting Urkel glasses — but is it more than a fashion statement?

5/30/12
5:29

What’s Wrong With Cash for Grades?

If we want our kids to thrive in school, maybe we should just pay them.

7/10/12
6:15

The Season of Death

We know that summertime brings far too many fatal accidents. But you may be surprised if you dig into the numbers.

8/8/12
6:33

Why Online Poker Should Be Legal

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?

9/19/12
5:25

Why America’s Economic Growth May Be (Shh!) Over

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?

10/4/12
5:48

Lying to Ourselves

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

10/18/12
5:45

Free-conomics

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

11/29/12
6:19

Have a Very Homo Economicus Christmas

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

12/13/12
15:10

Introducing “Freakonomics Experiments”

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

1/24/13
5:01

Help Wanted. No Smokers Need Apply

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?

4/17/13
8:19

It’s Crowded at the Top

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

5/1/13
9:05

Baby, You Can Program My Car

A glimpse into our driverless future.

5/29/13
8:23

Why Family and Business Don’t Mix: A New Marketplace Podcast

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

6/12/13
7:38

A Burger a Day

Is junk food an abomination or a modern miracle?

7/11/13
9:17

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