Dangerous Ideas
…prostitution were legalized? Do African-American men have higher levels of testosterone, on average, than white men? Is morality just a product of the evolution of our brains, with no inherent…
…prostitution were legalized? Do African-American men have higher levels of testosterone, on average, than white men? Is morality just a product of the evolution of our brains, with no inherent…
…revenue. On the other hand, the federal government seems to be moving in the opposite direction where the big money is concerned — proprietary trading. And, while prostitution taxes are…
Over the last decade, the number of syphilis cases in China increased tenfold, according to this Associated Press report, because more migrant workers have been able to afford to hire…
…for one would like to know whether prostitution is widely practiced by primates.) As with past Q&A’s, his answers will be published here shortly. Addendum: Frans answers your questions here….
…alcohol industry during alcohol prohibition, but not before or after; in gambling markets before state and federal governments legalized most forms of gambling; and in prostitution markets where prohibition forces…
Album sales hit new lows in 2007. (Earlier) New InTrade markets predict the effects candidates may have on economic matters. Is this pollster luckier than everyone, or just better? Study…
…the program: Our newest venture is called Exotic Dancer, M.B.A. It’s a one-day seminar for women who are exotic dancers (and there will be some private dancers/women in prostitution there,…
…short order. Over the coming months, we hope to feature some or all of the following: Sudhir Venkatesh, discussing his research on street prostitution in Chicago; Claudia Goldin and Larry…
…heavy burden on social security as they age. There is also concern that gender imbalance drives prostitution and human trafficking. Despite a ban on ultra-sounds for the sole purpose of…
…this is a hugely promising idea. Of course, the money needn’t always be raised through prostitution. (Hat tip to a reader who, for some strange reason, wishes to remain anonymous.)…
A few years ago, Germany legalized prostitution. It wasn’t hard to surmise that this was meant to make Germany a bit more hospitable for all the World Cup fans who…
Virgin to become the first airline to test biofuels. (Earlier) The “6 degrees of separation” theory fades under pressure. Is obesity really so bad? Sex workers expect business boom from…
A lot! “The Economics of the Undead” is a book about dating strategy, job creation, and whether there should be a legal market for blood.
Sure, sex crimes are horrific, and the perpetrators deserve to be punished harshly. But society keeps exacting costs — out-of-pocket and otherwise — long after the prison sentence has been…
The Associated Press wants prostitutes to stay away from its D.C. bureau. Are CEOs with military experience more honest? The relationship between reading and being skinny. Can exercise be bad…
After Dubner’s questioning of libraries, Folksonomy.com interviews Greg Boesel, co-founder and CEO of Swaptree, a Netflix-esque online trading site for books, DVDs, CDs, and video games — that’s also free…
It facilitates crime, bribery, and tax evasion – and yet some governments (including ours) are printing more cash than ever. Other countries, meanwhile, are ditching cash entirely. And if Star…
A business exec told me that he thinks of consulting firms a bit like Charlie Sheen thinks about prostitutes. When I asked him to explain, he said that when Sheen…
To you, it’s just a ride-sharing app that gets you where you’re going. But to an economist, Uber is a massive repository of moment-by-moment data that is helping answer some…
In many ways, the gender gap is closing. In others, not so much. And that’s not always a bad thing.
Gun control, abortion rights, drug legalization — it seems like every argument these days claims that if X happens, then Y will follow, and we’ll all be doomed to Z….
Photo: Editor B A few weeks back, I upset many people when I posed the question “How are prostitutes and rice alike?” You’ll have to read that old post to…
It’s time to do away with feel-good stories, gut hunches, and magical thinking.
(iStockphoto) You never know what you’ll run across while reading Yelp. While sussing out Philadelphia hotels, I came across this review: First of all, let me just say that, if…
In many ways, the gender gap is closing. In others, not so much. And that’s not always a bad thing.
Chatting with a seatmate on a flight, I learned she was attending a conference, hosted by Shared Hope International, on domestic trafficking in minor children. Naively and optimistically, I asked…
What happens when tens of millions of fantasy-sports players are suddenly able to bet real money on real games? We’re about to find out. A recent Supreme Court decision has…
There are enough management consultants these days to form a small nation. But what do they actually do? And does it work?
Photo courtesy of Allie In the SuperFreakonomics Virtual Book Club, we invite readers to ask questions of some of the researchers and other characters in our book. Past Q&A’s can…
