About

Freakonomics began as a book, which led to a blog, a documentary film, more books, a pair of pants, and in 2010, a podcast called Freakonomics Radio. Hosted by Stephen J. Dubner, it became and remains one of the most popular podcasts in the world, with a reputation for storytelling that is both rigorous and entertaining. Its archive of more than 500 episodes is available, for free, on any podcast app, and the show airs weekly on NPR stations. Freakonomics Radio is now the flagship show of the Freakonomics Radio Network, which includes the podcasts No Stupid Questions, People I (Mostly) Admire, The Economics of Everyday Things, and a variety of special series. To keep up with everything, you can get our newsletter, read the FAQs, or send inquiries to radio@freakonomics.com.

Freakonomics Radio: Stephen Dubner explores things you always thought you knew (but didn’t) and things you never thought you wanted to know (but do). Some of our most popular episodes are about the economics of sleep and how to become great at just about anything, plus the true stories of rent control, minimum wage, and the gender pay gap.

No Stupid Questions: Research psychologist Angela Duckworth (author of Grit) and tech and sports executive Mike Maughan really like to ask people questions, and they believe there’s no such thing as a stupid one. So they have a podcast where they can ask each other as many “stupid questions” as they want. New episodes each week. No Stupid Questions is a production of the Freakonomics Radio Network.

People I (Mostly) Admire: Steven Levitt, the unorthodox University of Chicago economist and co-author of the Freakonomics books, tracks down other high achievers — from sports superstars to Nobel Prize winners — and asks questions that only he would think to ask.

The Economics of Everyday Things: Who decides which snacks are in your office’s vending machine? How much is a suburban elm tree worth, and to whom?  How did Girl Scout Cookies become a billion-dollar business? In bite-sized episodes, journalist Zachary Crockett looks at quotidian things and finds amazing stories.

The Freakonomics Radio Network podcasts are produced in partnership with Stitcher, the podcast production arm of SiriusXM.

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