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Episode No.
Date
Length
No. 120

100 Ways to Fight Obesity

Freakonomics asks a dozen smart people for their best ideas. Get ready for a fat tax, a sugar ban, and a calorie-chomping tapeworm.

3/27/13
37:21
No. 119

How Money Is March Madness?

The N.C.A.A. basketball tournament grabs a lot of eyeballs, but turning them into dollars hasn’t always been easy — even when the “talent” is playing for free.

3/21/13
6:28
No. 118

Parking Is Hell

There ain’t no such thing as a free parking spot. Somebody has to pay for it — and that somebody is everybody.

3/13/13
36:39
No. 117

When Is a Negative a Positive?

Sure, we all like to hear compliments. But if you’re truly looking to get better at something, it’s the negative feedback that will get you there.

3/6/13
7:33
No. 116

Women Are Not Men

In many ways, the gender gap is closing. In others, not so much. And that’s not always a bad thing.

2/24/13
37:23
No. 115

The Downside of More Miles Per Gallon

The gas tax doesn’t work well, and it’s only going to get worse. What’s next?

2/20/13
6:05
No. 114

How to Think About Guns

No one wants mass shootings. Unfortunately, no one has a workable plan to stop them either.

2/14/13
34:26
No. 113

Sure, I Remember That

It is startlingly easy to create false memories, especially in politics.

2/8/13
6:39
No. 112

Would You Let a Coin Toss Decide Your Future?

Our latest Freakonomics Radio podcast is called “Would You Let a Coin Toss Decide Your Future?”

1/31/13
29:03
No. 111

Introducing “Freakonomics Experiments”

Steve Levitt has a novel idea for helping people make tough decisions.

1/24/13
5:01
No. 110

Who Owns the Words That Come Out of Your Mouth?

The very long reach of Winston Churchill — and how the British government is remaking copyright law.

1/17/13
35:57
No. 109

How to Live Longer

Why do Hall of Fame inductees, Oscar winners, and Nobel laureates outlive their peers?

1/10/13
6:07
No. 108

How Did “Freakonomics” Get Its Name?

Levitt and Dubner answer your questions about driving, sneezing, and ladies’ nights. Plus a remembrance of Levitt’s sister Linda.

1/3/13
32:02
No. 107

How Much Does a Good Boss Really Matter?

It’s harder than you’d think to measure the value of a boss. But some enterprising economists have done just that — and the news is good.

12/27/12
14:10
No. 106

The House of Dreams

Dubner’s childhood home goes from sacred to profane — and then back again.

12/20/12
24:45
No. 105

Have a Very Homo Economicus Christmas

Who better than an economist to help with your shopping list?

12/13/12
15:10
No. 104

The Things They Taught Me

College, at its best, is about learning to think. Stephen Dubner chats up three of his former professors who made the magic happen.

12/6/12
23:59
No. 103

Free-conomics

Economists are a notoriously self-interested bunch. But a British outfit called Pro Bono Economics is giving away its services to selected charities.

11/29/12
6:19
No. 102

I Consult, Therefore I Am

There are enough management consultants these days to form a small nation. But what do they actually do? And does it work?

11/26/12
35:59
No. 101

Mass Transit Hysteria

Adding more train and bus lines looks like an environmental slam dunk. Until you start to do the math.

11/15/12
6:33
No. 100

Our 100th Episode!

Turkey sex and chicken wings, selling souls and swapping organs, the power of the president and the price of wine: these are a few of our favorite things

11/5/12
14:33
No. 99

How to Maximize Your Halloween Candy Haul

Is it as simple as going to the richest neighborhood you can find? Of course not …

11/1/12
5:59
No. 98

We the Sheeple

Politicians tell voters exactly what they want to hear, even when it makes no sense. Which is pretty much all the time.

10/25/12
23:25
No. 97

Lying to Ourselves

We rely on polls and surveys to tell us how people will behave in the future. Too bad they’re completely unreliable.

10/18/12
5:45
No. 96

The Cobra Effect

When you want to get rid of a nasty pest, one obvious solution comes to mind: just offer a cash reward. But be careful — because nothing backfires quite like a bounty.

10/11/12
37:46
No. 95

Why America’s Economic Growth May Be (Shh!) Over

Sure, we love our computers and all the rest of our digital toys. But when it comes to real economic gains, can we ever match old-school innovations like the automobile and electricity?

10/4/12
5:48
No. 94

The Tale of the $15 Tomato

Trying to go rustic by baking, brewing, and knitting at home can be terribly inefficient. And that’s a wonderful thing.

9/23/12
9:24
No. 93

Why Online Poker Should Be Legal

The data show that poker is indeed a game of skill, not chance, and a Federal judge agrees. So why are players still being treated like criminals?

9/19/12
5:25
No. 92

Fear Thy Nature

What “Sleep No More” and the Stanford Prison Experiment tell us about who we really are.

9/14/12
42:25
No. 91

Can Selling Beer Cut Down on Public Drunkenness?

Binge drinking is a big problem at college football games. Oliver Luck — father of No. 1 N.F.L. pick Andrew, and the athletic director at West Virginia University — had an unusual idea to help solve it.

9/6/12
5:45
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