Freakonomics Radio

  • 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 Radio Goes Back to School.”)…

  • EXTRA: Why Quitting Is Usually Worth It

    Stephen Dubner appears as a guest on Fail Better, a new podcast hosted by David Duchovny. The two of them trade stories about failure, and ponder the lessons that success could never teach. SOURCES: David…

  • The University of Impossible-to-Get-Into (Update)

    America’s top colleges are facing record demand. So why don’t they increase supply? (Part 2 of our series from 2022, “Freakonomics Radio Goes Back to School.”) SOURCES: Peter Blair, professor of education at Harvard University…

  • What Exactly Is College For? (Update)

    We think of them as intellectual enclaves and the surest route to a better life. But U.S. colleges also operate like firms, trying to differentiate their products to win market share and prestige points. In…

  • EXTRA: Here’s Why You’re Not an Elite Athlete (Update)

    There are a lot of factors that go into greatness, many of which are not obvious. As the Olympics come to a close, we revisit a 2018 episode in which top athletes from a variety…

  • 600. “If We’re All in It for Ourselves, Who Are We?”

    Tania Tetlow, a former federal prosecutor and now the president of Fordham University, thinks the modern campus could use a dose of old-fashioned values. SOURCE: Tania Tetlow, president of Fordham University. RESOURCES: “Not a Priest,…

  • 599. The World’s Most Valuable Unused Resource

    It’s not oil or water or plutonium — it’s human hours. We’ve got an idea for putting them to use, and for building a more human-centered economy. But we need your help. SOURCES: Nathan Dietz,…

  • EXTRA: Why Rent Control Doesn’t Work (Update)

    A new proposal from the Biden administration calls for a nationwide cap on rent increases. Economists think that’s a terrible idea. We revisit a 2019 episode to hear why. SOURCES: Tommy Andersson, professor of economics…

  • 598. Is Overconsolidation a Threat to Democracy?

    That’s the worry. Even the humble eyeglass industry is dominated by a single firm. We look into the global spike in myopia, how the Lemtosh got its name, and what your eye doctor knows that…

  • 597. Why Do Your Eyeglasses Cost $1,000?

    A single company, EssilorLuxottica, owns so much of the eyewear industry that it’s hard to escape their gravitational pull — or their “obscene” markups. Should regulators do something? Can Warby Parker steal market share? And…

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