Host, Freakonomics Radio
PROFILE
Stephen J. Dubner
Host
FROM Stephen J. Dubner
Freakonomics Radio
Legacy of a Jerk We explore the power of poop. Also, we've all heard our share of poignant and loving eulogies. But what if the deceased was (gulp) a real jerk?
Freakonomics Radio
Freakonomics Goes to College We explore the value of a college degree and the market for fake diplomas. Plus a look at tuition costs and how the college experience makes people so much better off.
Freakonomics Radio
Save Me from Myself Sometimes we have a hard time committing ourselves, whether it’s quitting a bad habit or following through on a worthy goal. We share stories about "commitment devices."
Freakonomics Radio
Is a 'No-Lose Lottery' the Answer to America's Savings Problem? What do you do when smart people keep making stupid mistakes? And: are we a nation of financial illiterates?
Freakonomics Radio
Show and Yell Is booing an act of verbal vandalism or the last true expression of democracy? Also, when you drive a Prius, are you guilty of "conspicuous conservation?"
Freakonomics Radio
The Days of Wine and Mouses Do more expensive wines taste better? And what does one little rodent in a salad say about a restaurant's future?
Recommended
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Why is Trump so behind on filling staff jobs, establishing concrete policies? Yesterday Donald Trump signed a “decision memo” to revamp the air traffic control system. But there was little legislative detail in the plan. There’s not much to other splashy announcements from the White House, including tax cuts and the arms deal with Saudi Arabia. And hundreds of positions are unfilled in federal agencies.
Bookworm
George Saunders: Lincoln in the Bardo (Part I) Lincoln in the Bardo dramatizes a grieving President Lincoln as he visits the grave of his beloved son Willie, who died at age eleven. In the novel, the buried dead believe they're not dead -- "they're sick and refer to their coffins as "sick boxes."
Design and Architecture
Farewell LA freeways, Peter Shire is back Angelenos don't want more freeways but we seem not to want mass transit either. Metro has killed the 710 freeway extension, and bus and train ridership is down across the region. What's the future of getting around in LA? And, Peter Shire is having a comeback. What attracts a new generation to his playful ceramics and furniture?
Design and Architecture
Securing Public Spaces, Super Wealthy Asians Vehicles are increasingly being used as weapons, as seen in the London Bridge attack over the weekend and in New York’s Times Square last month. The Compton-based company Calpipe is designing security bollards to help make public spaces safer. And novelist Kevin Kwan satirizes the “crazy rich” Asian jet set and their luxurious tastes in his latest book, “Rich People Problems.”