767 episodes

Freakonomics co-author Stephen J. Dubner uncovers the hidden side of everything. Why is it safer to fly in an airplane than drive a car? How do we decide whom to marry? Why is the media so full of bad news? Also: things you never knew you wanted to know about wolves, bananas, pollution, search engines, and the quirks of human behavior.

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Freakonomics Radio Freakonomics Radio

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.5 • 29.3K Ratings

Listen on Apple Podcasts
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Freakonomics co-author Stephen J. Dubner uncovers the hidden side of everything. Why is it safer to fly in an airplane than drive a car? How do we decide whom to marry? Why is the media so full of bad news? Also: things you never knew you wanted to know about wolves, bananas, pollution, search engines, and the quirks of human behavior.

Join the Freakonomics Radio Plus membership program for weekly member-only episodes of Freakonomics Radio. You’ll also get every show in our network without ads. To sign up, visit our show page on Apple Podcasts or go to freakonomics.com/plus.

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

    582. Why Is Everyone Moving to Canada?

    582. Why Is Everyone Moving to Canada?

    As the U.S. tries to fix its messy immigration system, our neighbor to the north is scooping up more talented newcomers every year. Are the Canadians stealing America’s bacon? (Part three of a three-part series.)

    • 49 min
    581. What Both Parties Get Wrong About Immigration

    581. What Both Parties Get Wrong About Immigration

    The U.S. immigration system is a massively complicated machine, with a lot of worn-out parts. How to fix it? Step one: Get hold of some actual facts and evidence. (We did this step for you.) (Part two of a three-part series.)

    • 55 min
    Extra: Madeleine Albright’s Warning on Immigration

    Extra: Madeleine Albright’s Warning on Immigration

    She arrived in the U.S. as an 11-year-old refugee, then rose to become Secretary of State. Her views on immigration, nationalism, and borders, from this 2015 interview, are almost strangely appropriate to the present moment.

    • 29 min
    580. The True Story of America’s Supremely Messed-Up Immigration System

    580. The True Story of America’s Supremely Messed-Up Immigration System

    How did a nation of immigrants come to hate immigration? We start at the beginning, sort through the evidence, and explain why your grandfather was lying about Ellis Island. (Part one of a three-part series.)

    • 55 min
    579. Are You Caught in a Social Media Trap?

    579. Are You Caught in a Social Media Trap?

    Economists have discovered an odd phenomenon: many people who use social media (even you, maybe?) wish it didn’t exist. But that doesn’t mean they can escape.

    • 42 min
    Extra: What Is Sportswashing — and Does It Work? (Update)

    Extra: What Is Sportswashing — and Does It Work? (Update)

    In ancient Rome, it was bread and circuses. Today, it’s a World Cup, an Olympics, and a new Saudi-backed golf league that’s challenging the PGA Tour. Can a sporting event really repair a country’s reputation — or will it trigger the dreaded Streisand Effect? Also: why the major U.S. sports leagues are warming up to the idea of foreign investment.

    • 1 hr 5 min

Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5
29.3K Ratings

29.3K Ratings

annashordd ,

Don’t know what I’d do without you

I absolutely love the new Americas Messed Up Immigration Series deep dive!! Please keep producing stuff like this and interesting conversations we are having!!! womp womp womp ❤️

jmart444 ,

Biased to the left, unfortunate

Analysis of immigration was interesting, but left biased. There was no acknowledgment of the differences between immigration today and immigration of the 20th century. Ideological blindness.

Crystalash ,

Better suited for cocktail party chatters

No denial this podcast makes econ fun. Although it seems that for the most part, the aim is to show “contrarian” views (with the unshakable premise of Capitalism is king) with anecdotes or selective data presented as proofs, either inevitably lead to an aha conclusion or pitched against each other for dramatic effects. Fun as casual chat feeds, as long as you don’t rely it to make real world judgement or prediction.

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