EXTRA: People Aren’t Dumb. The World Is Hard. (Update)
15 July 2024 - 53 minsYou wouldn’t think you could win a Nobel Prize for showing that humans tend to make irrational decisions. But that’s what Richard Thaler has done. In an interview from 2018, the founder of behavioral economics describes his unlikely route to success; his reputation for being lazy; and his efforts to fix the world — one nudge at a time.
SOURCES:Richard Thaler, professor of behavioral science and economics at the University of Chicago.
RESOURCES:“Behavioral Economics,” by Richard Thaler (The Past, Present, and Future of Economics: A Celebration of the 125-Year Anniversary of the JPE and of Chicago Economics, December 2017).Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics, by Richard Thale...
Series Episodes
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.”)
1 hour 8 mins
31 October Finished
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 bears versus alligators.
47 mins
29 October Finished
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?
51 mins
24 October Finished
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.
1 hour 14 mins
17 October Finished
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 kind of fool?
40 mins
15 October Finished
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.)
55 mins
10 October Finished
