Freakonomics Radio

It’s true that robots (and other smart technologies) will kill many jobs. It may also be true that newer collaborative robots (“cobots”) will totally reinvigorate how work gets done. That, at least, is what the economists are telling us. Should we believe them?   SOURCES: David Autor, professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of … Read more

After a dramatic election, Donald Trump has returned from exile. We hear what to expect at home and abroad — and what to do if you didn’t vote for Trump.   SOURCE: Fareed Zakaria, journalist and author.   RESOURCES: “The Most Dangerous Moment Since the Cold War,” by Fareed Zakaria (The Washington Post, 2024). “America’s … Read more

Some people want the new cannabis economy to look like the craft-beer movement. Others are hoping to build the Amazon of pot. And one expert would prefer a government-run monopoly. We listen in as they fight it out. (Part four of a four-part series.)   SOURCES: Jon Caulkins, professor of operations research and public policy … Read more

Chris Weld worked for years in emergency rooms, then ditched that career and bought an old farm in Massachusetts. He set up a distillery and started making prize-winning spirits. When cannabis was legalized, he jumped into that too — and the first few years were lucrative. But now? It turns out that growing, processing, and … Read more

With abortion on the Nov. 5 ballot, we look back at Steve Levitt’s controversial research about an unintended consequence of Roe v. Wade.   SOURCES: John Donohue, professor of law at Stanford Law School. Steve Levitt, professor emeritus of economics at the University of Chicago and host of People I (Mostly) Admire. Jessica Wolpaw Reyes, … Read more

There are a lot of reasons, including heavy regulations, high taxes, and competition from illegal weed shops. Most operators are losing money and waiting for Washington to get out of the way. In the meantime, it’s not that easy being green. (Part two of a four-part series.)   SOURCES: Jon Caulkins, professor of operations research … Read more

We have always been a nation of drinkers — but now there are more daily users of cannabis than alcohol. Considering alcohol’s harms, maybe that’s a good thing. But some people worry that the legalization of cannabis has outpaced the research. (Part one of a four-part series.)   SOURCES: Jon Caulkins, professor of operations research and … Read more

Are betting markets more accurate than polls? What kind of chaos would a second Trump term bring? And is U.S. democracy really in danger, or just “sputtering on”? (Part two of a two-part series.)   SOURCES: Eric Posner, professor of law at the University of Chicago Law School. Koleman Strumpf, professor of economics at Wake … Read more

Sure, we all pay lip service to the Madisonian system of checks and balances. But presidents have been steadily expanding the reach of the job. With an election around the corner, we updated our 2016 conversation with the legal scholar Eric Posner — who has some good news and some not-so-good news about the power of … Read more

Sixty percent of the jobs that Americans do today didn’t exist in 1940. What happens as our labor becomes more technical and less physical? And what kinds of jobs will exist in the future?    SOURCES: David Autor, professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Paula Barmaimon, manager of coverage and audience analytics … Read more