Freakonomics Radio

  • 398. The Truth About the Vaping Crisis

    A recent outbreak of illness and death has gotten everyone’s attention — including late-to-the-game regulators. But would a ban on e-cigarettes do more harm than good? We smoke out the facts.


  • 397. How to Save $32 Million in One Hour

    For nearly a decade, governments have been using behavioral nudges to solve problems — and the strategy is catching on in healthcare, firefighting, and policing. But is that thinking too small? Could nudging be used…


  • 396. Why Does Tipping Still Exist?

    It’s an acutely haphazard way of paying workers, and yet it keeps expanding. We dig into the data to find out why.


  • 395. Speak Softly and Carry Big Data

    Do economic sanctions work? Are big democracies any good at spreading democracy? What is the root cause of terrorism? It turns out that data analysis can help answer all these questions — and make better…


  • 394. Does Hollywood Still Have a Princess Problem?

    For decades, there’s been a huge gender disparity both on-screen and behind the scenes. But it seems like cold, hard data — with an assist from the actor Geena Davis — may finally be moving…


  • 393. Can Britain Get Its “Great” Back?

    It used to be a global capital of innovation, invention, and exploration. Now it’s best known for its messy European divorce. We visit London to see if the British spirit of discovery is still alive.…


  • 392. The Prime Minister Who Cried Brexit

    In 2016, David Cameron held a referendum on whether the U.K. should stay in the European Union. A longtime Euroskeptic, he nevertheless led the Remain campaign. So what did Cameron really want? We ask him…


  • 391. America’s Math Curriculum Doesn’t Add Up

    Most high-school math classes are still preparing students for the Sputnik era. Steve Levitt wants to get rid of the “geometry sandwich” and instead have kids learn what they really need in the modern era:…


  • 390. Fed Up

    Mary Daly rose from high-school dropout to president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. She thinks the central bank needs an upgrade too. It starts with recognizing that the economy is made up…


  • 389. How to Make Meetings Less Terrible

    In the U.S. alone, we hold 55 million meetings a day. Most of them are woefully unproductive, and tyrannize our offices. The revolution begins now — with better agendas, smaller invite lists, and an embrace…