Freakonomics Radio
A lot of jobs in the modern economy don’t pay a living wage, and some of those jobs may be wiped out by new technologies. So what’s to be done? We revisit an episode from 2016 for a potential solution.
- SOURCES:
- Erik Brynjolfsson, professor of economics at Stanford University.
- Evelyn Forget, professor of economics and community health sciences at the University of Manitoba.
- Sam Altman, C.E.O. of OpenAI.
- Robert Gordon, professor emeritus of economics at Northwestern University.
- Greger Larson, professor of archeology at the University of Oxford.
- RESOURCES:
- “Here’s what a Sam Altman-backed basic income experiment found,” by Megan Cerullo (CBS News, 2024).
- Utopia for Realists, by Rutger Bregman. The Correspondent (2016).
- The Second Machine Age, by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee (2014).
- “The Town With No Poverty: Using Health Administration Data To Revisit Outcomes of a Canadian Guaranteed Annual Income Field Experiment,” by Evelyn Forget (Canadian Public Policy, 2011).
- “The Negative Income Tax and the Evolution of U.S. Welfare Policy,” by Robert Moffitt (Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2003).
- Capitalism and Freedom, by Milton Freidman (2002).
- “Lesson from the Income Maintenance Experiments,” (Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and The Brookings Institution, 1986).
- Law, Legislation and Liberty, Volume 3: The Political Order of A Free People, by Frederick Hayek (1981).
- “Daniel Moynihan and President-elect Nixon: How charity didn’t begin at home,” by Peter Passell and Leonard Ross (New York Times, 1973).
- “Income Maintenance Programs,” (Hearings Before The Subcommittee On Fiscal Policy Of The Joint Economic Committee Congress Of The United States, 1968).
- EXTRAS:
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
464. Will Work-from-Home Work Forever?
The pandemic may be winding down, but that doesn’t mean we’ll return to full-time commuting and packed office buildings. The greatest accidental experiment in the history of labor has lessons to teach us about productivity,…
463. How to Get Anyone to Do Anything
The social psychologist Robert Cialdini is a pioneer in the science of persuasion. His 1984 book Influence is a classic, and he has just published an expanded and revised edition. In this episode of the…
These Shoes Are Killing Me! (Ep. 296 Rebroadcast)
The human foot is an evolutionary masterpiece, far more functional than we give it credit for. So why do we encase it in “a coffin” (as one foot scholar calls it) that stymies so much…
462. The Future of New York City Is in Question. Could Andrew Yang Be the Answer?
The man who wants America to “think harder” has parlayed his quixotic presidential campaign into front-runner status in New York’s mayoral election. And he has some big plans.
461. How to Stop Worrying and Love the Robot Apocalypse
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…
460. The True Story of the Minimum-Wage Fight
Backers of a $15 federal wage say it’s a no-brainer if you want to fight poverty. Critics say it’s a blunt instrument that leads to job loss. Even the economists can’t agree! We talk to…
459. Let’s Be Blunt: Marijuana Is a Boon for Older Workers
The state-by-state rollout of legalized weed has given economists a perfect natural experiment to measure its effects. Here’s what we know so far — and don’t know — about the costs and benefits of legalization.
458. How to Manage Your Goal Hierarchy
In this special crossover episode, People I (Mostly) Admire host Steve Levitt admits to No Stupid Questions co-host Angela Duckworth that he knows almost nothing about psychology. But once Angela gives Steve a quick tutorial…
457. Is Dialysis a Test Case of Medicare for All?
Kidney failure is such a catastrophic (and expensive) disease that Medicare covers treatment for anyone, regardless of age. Since Medicare reimbursement rates are fairly low, the dialysis industry had to find a way to tweak…
456. How to Fix the Hot Mess of U.S. Healthcare
Medicine has evolved from a calling into an industry, adept at dispensing procedures and pills (and gigantic bills), but less good at actual health. Most reformers call for big, bold action. What happens if, instead,…
