logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2021
34m 3s

12. Where Do All the Bad Ideas Go?

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
About this episode
Ideas are currency. This couldn't be more true in academia, where it's the job of researchers to think of questions and, hopefully, find answers. Bapu talks with economists Steve Levitt and Emily Oster about how they come up with ideas for studies, why most never make it off the ground, and what should be done with scrapped projects. 
Up next
Jul 2023
The Economics of Everyday Things: Animal Urine
In the newest show from the Freakonomics Radio Network, host Zachary Crockett explores the hidden side of the things around us. This week: One creature’s trash is another’s cash. (Or, how one man found profit in pee.) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com ... Show More
12m 57s
Jul 2023
Tom Brady, A.D.H.D., and a Really Bad Headache (Bonus)
A sneak peek at Bapu's new book, Random Acts of Medicine, available now from Doubleday, and an announcement about the show. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. 
37m 40s
Mar 2023
78. Do Kids Cause Divorce?
Couples get divorced for all kinds of reasons. Is having kids one of them? Bapu talks about research that investigates what happens to parents who unexpectedly have twins. Plus, an announcement about the future of the show. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswiz ... Show More
18m 50s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2022
70. Ideas Fuel Innovation: Why Your First Ideas Aren’t Always the Best
<p>What’s the secret to coming up with good ideas? For <a href="https://www.fastersmarter.io/guests/jeremy-utley/">Jeremy Utley</a>, it’s about generating as many as possible. </p><p>The director of executive education at the Stanford d.school, Utley says, “very few problems we f ... Show More
21m 36s
Jun 2025
Your Thesis Won’t Change the World (and Here’s Why)
The path to discovery is paved with bureaucracy. Einstein was a patent clerk when he first proposed his famous equation that explained our universe…something that could never happen today. This week, we’re calling out the slow, tangled mess that is academic science. Why do some o ... Show More
46m 3s
Jan 2024
The Communication You Need to Research, to Review, and to Publish Work with Societal Impact
Listen to this interview of Wouter Lueks, faculty at the CISPA Helmhotz Center for Information Security. We talk about getting into the reviewer's mindset, and also about research collaboration outside the walls of the university. Wouter Lueks : "For first ideas, you don't need w ... Show More
56m 28s
Oct 2025
How science got here, and where next
As anti-science leaves research reeling, does evidence-based policy in a scientific society have much of a future? Michael Mann, Naomi Oreskes, Angie Rasmussen and Deb Houry discuss some of the sources and motivations that perhaps belie the current state of scientific affairs. Pr ... Show More
31m 30s
Mar 2022
Putting Our Assumptions to the Test
<p>Do you ever stop to wonder if the way you see the world is how the world really is?  Economist <a href="https://economics.mit.edu/faculty/banerjee">Abhijit Banerjee</a> has spent a lifetime asking himself this question. His answer: Our world views often don't reflect reality. ... Show More
52m 14s
Aug 2024
Sendhil Mullainathan Thinks Messing Around Is the Best Use of Your Time (Update)
tail spinning
46m 54s
Sep 2018
Creativity
Creativity - has it become the meaningless buzz word for our times? Oli Mould, Lecturer in Human Geography at Royal Holloway, University of London, delivers a broadside against the injunction to 'be creative' and the 'creative economy' itself. He's joined by David Hesmondhalgh, P ... Show More
29m 1s
Apr 2017
284. Is Income Inequality Inevitable? (Earth 2.0 Series)
<p>In pursuit of a more perfect economy, we discuss the future of work; the toxic remnants of colonization; and whether giving everyone a basic income would be genius -- or maybe the worst idea ever.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.a ... Show More
40m 57s
Aug 2010
Ideas from Aspen: Economy
An examination of the critical interplay between human capital, the power of ideas, financial investment, and the leadership that will be required to propel our economy onward and upward. 
53m 55s