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Freakonomics Radio

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Freakonomics Radio

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Freakonomics co-author Stephen J. Dubner uncovers the hidden side of everything. Why is it safer to fly in an airplane than drive a car? How do we decide whom to marry? Why is the media so full of bad news? Also: things you never knew you wanted to know about wolves, bananas, pollution, search engines, and the quirks of human behavior. To get every show in the Freakonomics Radio Network without ads and a monthly bonus episode of Freakonomics Radio, start a free trial for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

2025/12/19

657. Whose “Messiah” Is It Anyway?

All sorts of people have put their mark on Messiah, and it has been a hit for nearly 300 years. How can a single piece of music thrive in so many settings? You could say it’s because Handel really knew how to write a banger. (Part three of “Making Messiah....

657. Whose “Messiah” Is It Anyway?

2025/12/17

Who Pays for “Messiah”?

In the 18th century, Handel relied on royal patronage. Today, it’s donors like Gary Parr who keep the music playing. In this bonus episode of our “Making Messiah” series, Parr breaks down the economics of the New York Philharmonic. * SOURCES: * Gar...

Who Pays for “Messiah”?

2025/12/12

656. How Handel Got His Mojo Back

When he wrote Messiah (in 24 days), Handel was past his prime and nearly broke. One night in Dublin changed all that. (Part two of “Making Messiah.”) * SOURCES: * Charles King, political scientist at Georgetown University. * Chris Scobie, curato...

656. How Handel Got His Mojo Back

2025/12/05

655. “The Greatest Piece of Participatory Art Ever Created”

Why does an 18th-century Christian oratorio lend such comfort to our own turbulent times? Stephen Dubner sets out for Dublin to tell the story of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah. (Part one of “Making Messiah.”) * SOURCES: * Charles King, political...

655. “The Greatest Piece of Participatory Art Ever Created”

2025/11/28

Dying Is Easy. Retail Is Hard. (Update)

Macy’s wants to recapture its glorious past. The author of the Wimpy Kid books wants to rebuild his dilapidated hometown. We just want to listen in. (Part two of a two-part series, first published in 2024) * SOURCES: * Mark Cohen, former professor ...

Dying Is Easy. Retail Is Hard. (Update)

2025/11/27

Is Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade Its Most Valuable Asset? (Update)

The iconic department store calls the parade its “gift to the nation.” With 30 million TV viewers, it’s also a big moneymaker — at least we think it is: when it comes to parade economics, Macy’s is famously tight-lipped. In this 2024 episode, we try to loo...

Is Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade Its Most Valuable Asset? (Update)

2025/11/21

654. Is the Public Ready for Private Equity?

A Trump executive order is giving retail investors more access to private markets. Is that a golden opportunity — or fool’s gold? * SOURCES: * Elisabeth de Fontenay, professor of law at Duke University. * Steven Kaplan, professor of entrepreneur...

2025/11/14

653. Does Horse Racing Have a Future?

Thoroughbred auction prices keep setting records. But tracks are closing, gambling revenues are falling, and the sport is increasingly reliant on subsidies. Is that the kind of long shot anybody wants? (Part three of a series, “The Horse Is Us.”) * SO...

653. Does Horse Racing Have a Future?

2025/11/12

What Happens When You Turn 20

The world has changed a good bit since Freakonomics was first published. In this live anniversary episode, Stephen Dubner tells Geoff Bennett of PBS NewsHour everything he has learned since then. Happy birthday, Freakonomics. * SOURCES: * Geoff Ben...

2025/11/07

652. Inside the Horse-Industrial Complex

How does Kentucky keep itself atop the thoroughbred industry? Is a champion stallion really worth $200,000 per date? And how many hands can one jockey have? (Part two of a series, “The Horse Is Us.”) * SOURCES: * Emily Plant, thoroughbred researche...

652. Inside the Horse-Industrial Complex

2025/10/31

651. The Ultimate Dance Partner

For most of human history, horsepower made the world go. Then came the machines. So why are there still seven million horses in America? (Part one of a series, “The Horse Is Us.”) * SOURCES: * Ann N. Greene, historian of 19th century America, retir...

651. The Ultimate Dance Partner

2025/10/29

Are Two C.E.O.s Better Than One? (Update)

Spotify, Oracle, and Comcast have each recently announced they’re going with co-C.E.O.s. In this 2023 episode, we dig into the research and hear firsthand stories of triumph and disaster. Also: lessons from computer programmers, Simon and Garfunkel, and be...

2025/10/24

650. The Doctor Won’t See You Now

The U.S. has a physician shortage, created in part by a century-old reform that shut down bad medical schools. But why haven’t we filled the gap? Why are some physicians so unhappy? And which is worse: a bad doctor or no doctor at all? * SOURCES: *...

2025/10/17

A Question-Asker Becomes a Question-Answerer

For the 20th anniversary of Freakonomics, Debbie Millman of Design Matters interviews Stephen Dubner about his upbringing, his writing career, and why it's important to “swing your swing.” Plus: a sneak peek at a new project. * SOURCES: * Debbie Mi...

A Question-Asker Becomes a Question-Answerer

2025/10/15

How Can We Break Our Addiction to Contempt? (Update)

Arthur Brooks, an economist and former head of the American Enterprise Institute, believes that there is only one remedy for our political polarization: love. In this 2021 episode, we ask if Brooks is a fool for thinking this — and if perhaps you are his k...

2025/10/10

649. Should Ohio State (and Michigan, and Clemson) Join the N.F.L.?

Soccer leagues around the world use a promotion-and-relegation system to reward the best teams and punish the worst. We ask whether American sports fans would enjoy a similar system. (Part two of a two-part series.) * SOURCES: * Domonique Foxworth,...

2025/10/03

648. The Merger You Never Knew You Wanted

The N.F.L. is a powerful cartel with imperial desires. College football is about to undergo a financial reckoning. So maybe they should team up? (Part one of a two-part series.) * SOURCES: * DeMaurice Smith, former executive director of the Nationa...

2025/09/26

Is the U.S. Really Less Corrupt Than China? (Update)

In this episode we first published in 2021, the political scientist Yuen Yuen Ang argues that different forms of government create different styles of corruption — and that the U.S. and China have more in common than we’d like to admit. * SOURCES: ...

2025/09/19

647. China Is Run by Engineers. America Is Run by Lawyers.

In his new book “Breakneck,” Dan Wang argues that the U.S. has a lot to learn from China. He also says that “no two peoples are more alike.” We have questions. * SOURCES: * Dan Wang, research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University,...

2025/09/17

Is the World Ready for a Guaranteed Basic Income? (Update)

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 e...