Google Makes a Bad Economist
I love Google. But it’s not a very good economist. Type “unemployment rate,” and here’s what it yields: The first of these links is from Google, and it tells…
Christina Romer was a top White House economist during the Great Recession. As a researcher, she specializes in the Great Depression. She tells us what those disasters can (and can’t)…
I love Google. But it’s not a very good economist. Type “unemployment rate,” and here’s what it yields: The first of these links is from Google, and it tells…
…nonetheless as a prelude to Frank’s book, which I’m eager to read. So here’s our SuperFreakonomics outtake on Darwin-as-economist. On May 24, 1859, the noted English zoologist, surgeon, and author…
He’s an economist who studies even weirder things than Steve. They discuss whether economics is the best of the social sciences, and why it’s a good idea to get a…
Yale’s business school just published an interesting interview with Betsey Stevenson-my favorite economist. And yes, the usual disclosure applies: this is partly because she’s an interesting coauthor and colleague, but…
We recently solicited your questions for Cornell economist Robert Frank, whose new book, The Darwin Economy: Liberty, Competition, and the Common Good, argues (among other things) that competition has made…
More well-deserved attention for University of Chicago economist John List, whose research is the star of Chapter 3 of SuperFreakonomics and also featured in the last segment of the Freakonomics…
…on New York City’s public high-school matching process and his revolutionary “matched pairs” kidney-donor program. Elsewhere, Alex Tabarrok calls Roth “the most influential economist working today.” (Would that it were…
From politics and economics to psychology and the arts, many of the modern ideas we take for granted emerged a century ago from a single European capital. In this episode…
Breaking news! Sources say American journalism exploits our negativity bias to maximize profits, and social media algorithms add fuel to the fire. Stephen Dubner investigates….
Most epidemics flare up, do their damage, and fade away. This one has been raging for almost 30 years. To find out why, it’s time to ask some uncomfortable questions….
In this installment of the Freakonomics Radio Book Club, the economist Amy Finkelstein explains why insurance markets are broken and how to fix them. Also: why can’t you buy divorce…
Back in 2007, we had a lively debate around a series of excerpts that Cornell economist Robert Frank contributed to the Freakonomics blog. We’re hoping an excerpt from his latest…
In the American Dream sweepstakes, Andrew Yang was a pretty big winner. But for every winner, he came to realize, there are thousands upon thousands of losers — a “war…
Photo: ShuttrKing|KT Last week, we posted an essay by University of Chicago economist Allen R. Sanderson on why he thinks a “sin tax” should be levied against Division I college…
Artist Wendy MacNaughton knows the difficulty of sitting in silence and the power of having fun. She explains to Steve the lessons she’s gleaned from drawing hospice residents, working in…
Last week, I learned two important things. They both happened as the result of a post I wrote about various errors, typographical and otherwise. I noted that the excellent Economist…
David Keith has spent his career studying ways to reflect sunlight away from the earth. It could reduce the risks of climate change — but it won’t save us.
A small number of patients with multiple, chronic conditions use a lot of resources. Dr. Jeffrey Brenner found a way to identify and treat them. Could it reduce health care…
How psychologist Dan Gilbert went from high school dropout to Harvard professor, found the secret of joy, and inspired Steve Levitt’s divorce….
…historian Niall Ferguson interprets this as indicating that the bond market is worried about the U.S. deficit and the prospect of inflation. Princeton economist Paul Krugman thinks it indicates that…
…may well arise at some point. If this happens, the policy “mistake” of interest rates being too low in 2010 could be easily undone by higher interest rates in 2011….
The Pittsburgh Steelers played in this year’s Super Bowl, but did not win it. Which means that, sitting in a warehouse somewhere, are lots of preprinted “Pittsburgh Steelers 2011 Super…
VCU teammates celebrate their win over Purdue during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the United Center on March 20, 2011 in Chicago. (Photo by…
…what the various Brookings economists are up to. This morning’s edition (written by Daniel Moskowitz) was priceless: Good enough I thought worth sharing with the wider world. (Hint: Check the…
…to formally announce a run for President before midnight ET on 31 Dec 2011: 41.9% 4. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to no longer be President of Iran before midnight ET 31 Dec…
…on July 31, 2011: 40% (It was 65% a month ago) – Congress to approve increase in U.S. debt ceiling before midnight Aug. 31, 2011: 75% (It was 85% a…
…the average of “substantially similar” cars. Thus, according to the DOE, a maker of the 28-MPG 2011 Toyota Highlander Hybrid holds a “green-collar job,” but the maker of a 41-MPG…
Photo: spakattacks Allen R. Sanderson is an economist at the University of Chicago who enjoys, among other things, writing about sports. Some of his past work includes pieces on the…
…The result is this chart showing self-reported well-being scores over the last four years. Though we started out 2011 all right, our well-being has been on the decline since about…
