My "Buy One, Get One Free" Burden
…a “free” second new suit. I asked if I could get half price on the one suit, but the manager said no. I hope I am typical and that when…
We seem to have decided that ethnic food tastes better when it’s served by people of that ethnicity (or at least something close). Does this make sense — and is…
…and patience? Why do people do crossword puzzles? And how is Angie like a combination of a quantum computer and a Sherman tank? Take the Seven Deadly Sins survey: freakonomics.com/nsq-sins/…
The pandemic may be winding down, but that doesn’t mean we’ll return to full-time commuting and packed office buildings. The greatest accidental experiment in the history of labor has lessons…
…a “free” second new suit. I asked if I could get half price on the one suit, but the manager said no. I hope I am typical and that when…
When he became chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai announced that he was going to take a “weed whacker” to Obama-era regulations. So far, he’s kept his promise,…
Hi everyone. We’re working on a Freakonomics Radio episode about — sorry, I’m going to be cryptic here — a person who expected to get/use something for free but was…
…out that the public interest is going to be a lot better served by joining us in moving to open access. Economics research want to be free. Set it free!…
Photo: Like_the_Grand_Canyon You’ve heard it before, if not from Milton Friedman, then surely from a proselytizing grandparent or a macro econ professor: There ain’t no such thing as a free…
…word for it because the Wall Street Journal is one of the few newspapers that don’t give away most of their content free online. As an aside, isn’t it strange…
…cut soon to follow. Fierce competition ensued, but Huntington continued to turn the screws, pressuring shipping companies to come to San Pedro on pain of being denied use of the…
…to see a much more stringent “stress test” of all new entrants into the markets. I would like to see us compete in unfettered international markets. Many foreign carriers are…
…San Francisco, and a smattering of municipal and state positions across the country. In many of these races, incumbents are fighting to keep their seats. In our latest Freakonomics Radio…
…course). Just choose an app to download (iPhones come with one already loaded — just look for this icon on your home screen. Other popular apps include Spotify, Overcast, and…
…companies that participate in the Compact. And, perhaps more interestingly, you can look up which companies the Compact has expelled for non-compliance (and here’s an update of the expelled list)….
Verbal tic or strategic rejoinder? Whatever the case: it’s rare to come across an interview these days where at least one question isn’t a “great” one.
Also: is a little knowledge truly a dangerous thing?…
Should government jobs have mandatory retirement ages? Is it foolish to care about your legacy? And why did Jason always call Angela’s father “Dr. Lee”?…
How much does the President of the United States really matter? And: where did all the hitchhikers go? A pair of “attribution errors.” This is a “mashupdate” of “How Much…
Also: Why is it so great to be part of a team, even when you lose?…
The U.S. immigration system is a massively complicated machine, with a lot of worn-out parts. How to fix it? Step one: Get hold of some actual facts and evidence. (We…
New York Times columnist Charles Blow argues that white supremacy in America will never fully recede, and that it’s time for Black people to do something radical about it. In…
…available to the bookstore on campus.)? Some publishers are complying with these new mandates by having the preface of new editions clearly describe all “substantial content revisions.”? This new disclosure…
In a special episode of The Economics of Everyday Things, host Zachary Crockett explains what millennials do to show they care, how corrugated cardboard keeps your food warm, and why…
…for those coming from particularly difficult family situations. In particular, they combed through court records and linked every domestic violence charge in Alachua County, Florida to the county schooling records…
In a special holiday episode, Stephen Dubner and Angela Duckworth take turns asking each other questions about charisma, wealth vs. intellect, and (of course) grit.
…electricity with generation from (imported) carbon-emitting coal and natural gas. Until a technically adequate, commercially viable energy storage solution comes to the fore, the stark reality is that the penetration…
After eight years and more than 300 episodes, it was time to either 1) quit, or 2) make the show bigger and better. We voted for number 2. Here’s a…
Palliative physician B.J. Miller asks: Is there a better way to think about dying? And can death be beautiful?…
Patrick Smith, the author of Cockpit Confidential, answers every question we can throw at him about what really happens up in the air. Just don’t get him started on pilotless…
…legalized abortion on crime. John and Steve talk about guns, the death penalty, the heat they took from their joint research, and why it’s frustratingly difficult to prove truth in…
