Freakonomics Radio
Insurance forms that make no sense. Subscriptions that can’t be cancelled. A never-ending blizzard of automated notifications. In this update of a 2025 episode, Stephen Dubner discovers where all this sludge comes from — and how much it’s costing us.
- SOURCES:
- Benjamin Handel, professor of economics at UC Berkeley.
- Neale Mahoney, professor of economics at Stanford University.
- Richard Thaler, professor of economics at The University of Chicago.
- RESOURCES:
- “Selling Subscriptions,” by Liran Einav, Ben Klopack, and Neale Mahoney (Stanford University, 2023).
- “The ‘Enshittification’ of TikTok,” by Cory Doctorow (WIRED, 2023).
- “Dominated Options in Health Insurance Plans,” by Chenyuan Liu and Justin Sydnor (American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 2022).
- Nudge: The Final Edition, by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein (2021).
- “Frictions or Mental Gaps: What’s Behind the Information We (Don’t) Use and When Do We Care?” by Benjamin Handel and Joshua Schwartzstein (Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2018).
- “Adverse Selection and Switching Costs in Health Insurance Markets: When Nudging Hurts,” by Benjamin Handel (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2011).
- EXTRAS:
- “Sludge,” series by Freakonomics Radio (2025).
- “People Aren’t Dumb. The World Is Hard. (Update)” by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
- “All You Need is Nudge,” by Freakonomics Radio (2021).
- “How to Fix the Hot Mess of U.S. Healthcare,” by Freakonomics Radio (2021).
- “Should We Really Behave Like Economists Say We Do?” by Freakonomics Radio (2015).
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375. The Most Interesting Fruit in the World
The banana used to be a luxury good. Now it’s the most popular fruit in the U.S. and elsewhere. But the production efficiencies that made it so cheap have also made it vulnerable to a…
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374. How Spotify Saved the Music Industry (But Not Necessarily Musicians)
Daniel Ek, a 23-year-old Swede who grew up on pirated music, made the record labels an offer they couldn’t refuse: a legal platform to stream all the world’s music. Spotify reversed the labels’ fortunes, made…
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374. How Spotify Saved the Music Industry (But Not Necessarily Musicians)
Daniel Ek, a 23-year-old Swede who grew up on pirated music, made the record labels an offer they couldn’t refuse: a legal platform to stream all the world’s music. Spotify reversed the labels’ fortunes, made…
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373. Why Rent Control Doesn’t Work
As cities become ever-more expensive, politicians and housing advocates keep calling for rent control. Economists think that’s a terrible idea. They say it helps a small (albeit noisy) group of renters, but keeps overall rents…
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373. Why Rent Control Doesn’t Work
As cities become ever-more expensive, politicians and housing advocates keep calling for rent control. Economists think that’s a terrible idea. They say it helps a small (albeit noisy) group of renters, but keeps overall rents…
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373. Why Rent Control Doesn’t Work
As cities become ever-more expensive, politicians and housing advocates keep calling for rent control. Economists think that’s a terrible idea. They say it helps a small (albeit noisy) group of renters, but keeps overall rents…
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372. Freakonomics Radio Live: “Would You Eat a Piece of Chocolate Shaped Like Dog Poop?”
What your disgust level says about your politics, how Napoleon influenced opera, why New York City’s subways may finally run on time, and more. Five compelling guests tell Stephen Dubner, co-host Angela Duckworth, and fact-checker…
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372. Freakonomics Radio Live: “Would You Eat a Piece of Chocolate Shaped Like Dog Poop?”
What your disgust level says about your politics, how Napoleon influenced opera, why New York City’s subways may finally run on time, and more. Five compelling guests tell Stephen Dubner, co-host Angela Duckworth, and fact-checker…
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Why You Shouldn’t Open a Restaurant (Update)
Kenji Lopez-Alt became a rock star of the food world by bringing science into the kitchen in a way that everyday cooks can appreciate. Then he dared to start his own restaurant — and discovered…
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Why You Shouldn’t Open a Restaurant (Update)
Kenji Lopez-Alt became a rock star of the food world by bringing science into the kitchen in a way that everyday cooks can appreciate. Then he dared to start his own restaurant — and discovered…