What Is China Saying in Copenhagen?
…between 2030 and 2040, the country’s science and technology minister [Wan Gang] told the Guardian as the global climate change summit began in Copenhagen. And: The precise timing, he said,…
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…
Why are humans so fascinated by coincidences? What do Carl Jung and an album by The Police have in common? And what did Stephen win in a bar mitzvah limbo…
…between 2030 and 2040, the country’s science and technology minister [Wan Gang] told the Guardian as the global climate change summit began in Copenhagen. And: The precise timing, he said,…
Getting solid answers in medicine can be hard — especially when the normal tools are off-limits. Dr. Bapu Jena discusses a research method that’s helping to solve some of science’s…
…Wilson, the university’s professor of criminology. He said: “Far from the media portrayal of hits being conducted inside smoky rooms, frequented by members of an organized crime gang, British hits…
…these was last week, the James Gang’s “Funk #49” on expert drums, which is super fun. Another recent fave was Soundgarden’s “Pretty Noose.” (Soundgarden’s drum parts are awesome.) Freakonomics questioned…
…Scored? If Jeremy and his friends are pessimists about the economy, I’m thinking Fourth and Very, Very, Very Long; if they’re optimists, maybe the Return of the Great Moderation Gang….
Fareed Zakaria says yes. But it’s not just political revolution — it’s economic, technological, even emotional. He doesn’t offer easy solutions but he does offer some hope….
Fareed Zakaria says yes. But it’s not just political revolution — it’s economic, technological, even emotional. He doesn’t offer easy solutions but he does offer some hope….
Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles, has big ambitions but knows he must first master the small stuff. He’s also a polymath who relies heavily on data and new…
America’s top colleges are facing record demand. So why don’t they increase supply? (Part 2 of “Freakonomics Radio Goes Back to School.”)…
Readers may know that I’m not the most qualified person to talk about using surveys. My first attempt — asking street gang members “How does it feel to be black…
…far behind these technological improvements. While it’s still a crime worth pursuing in the event a criminal gang can muster the necessary resources, it’s much more difficult than it was…
…gang of brutal facts” — I have heard it attributed to Herbert Spencer, but also that it was not Spencer. The YBQ credits this to Thomas H. Huxley, who wrote…
No one wants mass shootings. Unfortunately, no one has a workable plan to stop them either.
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…
Stephen Dubner’s conversation with the former longtime C.E.O. of General Electric, recorded for the Freakonomics Radio series “The Secret Life of a C.E.O.”…
…two partners and myself. We hadn’t made 10 percent of that, but the government had reasons for turning a couple of small fish into “The Black Tuna Gang.” Those were…
Politicians campaigning in Mumbai. (Photo: Al Jazeera English) Freakonomics described the economics of a crack-selling gang — a tournament model where you don’t earn much unless you can get to…
…out that for a band like Budos, who take on the collective stage persona of a rowdy gang of misfits, booing can work in one’s favor: JT: We’re very much…
The pandemic has hit America’s biggest city particularly hard. Amidst a deep fiscal hole, rising homicides, and a flight to the suburbs, some people think the city is heading back…
How can you strive for excellence without overworking yourself? Why is perfectionism on the rise? And is Angela part of the problem?…
The British art superstar Flora Yukhnovich, the Freakonomist Steve Levitt, and the upstart American Basketball Association were all unafraid to follow their joy — despite sneers from the Establishment. Should…
…that two ex-insiders died on the same day, in the same hospital, because of the same illness. He found one alternative explanation plausible. It was proposed by an ex-gang novelist…
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…
What do NASCAR drivers, Glenn Beck, and the hit men of the N.F.L. have in common?
Among a certain type of criminal — think mafia, think crack gang — there is no greater dishonor than to snitch. Giving information to the police is a betrayal of…
…to actually live to collect Social Security benefits.) Social Security pays better than criminal activity (similar to your documentation of gang members making the equivalent of minimum wage). Criminals are…
Dear Secretary Geithner, I’ve been out of touch. Sorry. I spent the last month on grand jury duty, putting Manhattan’s poor minorities behind bars. I needed a little time to…
In the previous installment of our virtual book club, Sudhir Venkatesh answered your questions about his research on street prostitution. Now, moving on to another section of Chapter One, here’s…
