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Episode 503

What Is the Future of College — and Does It Have Room for Men?

Educators and economists tell us all the reasons college enrollment has been dropping, especially for men, and how to stop the bleeding. (Part 4 of “Freakonomics Radio Goes Back to…

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Episode 507

103 Pieces of Advice That May or May Not Work

Kevin Kelly calls himself “the most optimistic person in the world.” And he has a lot to say about parenting, travel, A.I., being luckier — and why we should spend…

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Episode 439

Please Get Your Noise Out of My Ears (Update)

The pandemic provided city dwellers with a break from the din of the modern world. Now the noise is coming back. What does that mean for our productivity, health, and…

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Episode 400

How to Hate Taxes a Little Bit Less (Replay)

Every year, Americans short the I.R.S. nearly half a trillion dollars. Most ideas to increase compliance are more stick than carrot — scary letters, audits, and penalties. But what if…

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Episode 118

“My God, This Is a Transformative Power”

Computer scientist Fei-Fei Li had a wild idea: download one billion images from the internet and teach a computer to recognize them. She ended up advancing the state of artificial…

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Episode 119

Higher Education Is Broken. Can It Be Fixed?

Economist Michael D. Smith says universities are scrambling to protect a status quo that deserves to die. He tells Steve why the current system is unsustainable, and what’s at stake…

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Episode 188

Why Do Kids Today Get So Many A’s?

Is grade inflation on the rise? How much does your G.P.A. matter in the long run? And when did M.I.T., of all places, become “the cool university”?…

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Episode 503

What Is the Future of College — and Does It Have Room for Men? (Update)

Educators and economists tell us all the reasons college enrollment has been dropping, especially for men, and how to stop the bleeding. (Part 3 of our series from 2022, “Freakonomics…

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Episode 644

Has America Lost Its Appetite for the Common Good?

Patrick Deneen, a political philosopher at Notre Dame, says yes. He was a Democrat for years, and has now come to be seen as an “ideological guru” of the Trump…

How NYC Govt. Causes Its Own Traffic Jams

…warehousing and utilities,” at 36.1%. Comparatively, only 15.1% of workers in the retail trade drive into the city, and 14% of finance workers. Now these numbers are not nearly as…



Your Hedge Fund Questions, Answered

…between jobs in finance and jobs in virtually every other part of society is sad. Q: How far are we away from hedge funds being a regulated investment option (and…



More on the Missing Macroeconomists

…Erik Hurst wanted to let me know: “I found the missing macroeconomists.” To his eye, “the initial ‘shock’ to the economy was a finance shock,” and so, “they just happen…



Freakonomics in the Times Magazine: Payback Time

…somewhat different tack. It’s about a little-known trick known as a cash-back transaction, in which a buyer receives a “rebate” to finance his own down-payment – a rebate that the…




How to Rig an Election? Ask the Author

…real solution is a savvy, committed electorate. Q: Would campaign finance reform eliminate some dirty tricks? A: The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) is little more than lawmakers creating new…



Hal Varian Answers Your Questions

…sector in the same way that those in finance have been moving for some time now? A: Yes, I think so. One problem is that academic programs tend to be…





A Coasean Sign

…pay? This is the perfect kind of question for corporate finance students to kick around in Excel, and so as one of the questions for my quantitative corporate finance final,…





The Nanny Nation

…explain the transition to both the disillusioned amateur and the finance junkie. He doesn’t pull his punches or bury the truth in layers of finance-speak, caveats, and disclaimers. Since he…







An End to the Gas Tax?

…in fuel economy and alternate fuels. Something will have to be done to pay for transportation, and a shift to the use of sales taxes would put highway finance on…



Now Hiring

…help get the word out (note, they require some specialized expertise and experience, ideally someone with consumer banking experience). Post #1: Manager or Director of our US Household Finance Initiative…




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Episode 430

Will a Covid-19 Vaccine Change the Future of Medical Research?

We explore the science, scalability, and (of course) economics surrounding the global vaccine race. Guests include the chief medical officer of the first U.S. firm to go to Phase 3…