logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2022
51m 36s

The U.S. Is Just Different — So Let’s St...

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
About this episode

We often look to other countries for smart policies on education, healthcare, infrastructure, etc. But can a smart policy be simply transplanted into a country as culturally unusual (and as supremely WEIRD) as America?

Up next
Yesterday
640. Why Governments Are Betting Big on Sports
The Gulf States and China are spending billions to build stadiums and buy up teams — but what are they really buying? And can an entrepreneur from Cincinnati make his own billions by bringing baseball to Dubai? SOURCES:Simon Chadwick, professor of afroeurasian sport at Emlyon Bus ... Show More
50m 12s
Jul 9
How to Make Your Own Luck (Update)
Before she decided to become a poker pro, Maria Konnikova didn’t know how many cards are in a deck. But she did have a Ph.D. in psychology, a brilliant coach, and a burning desire to know whether life is driven more by skill or chance. She found some answers in poker — and she’s ... Show More
58m 7s
Jul 4
639. “This Country Kicks My Ass All the Time”
Cory Booker on the politics of fear, the politics of hope, and how to split the difference. SOURCES:Cory Booker, senior United States Senator from New Jersey. RESOURCES:"'When Are More Americans Going to Speak Up?'" by The New Yorker Radio Hour (2025)."Cory Booker’s Marathon Floo ... Show More
53m 46s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2023
We are living in two Americas and that needs to change
On many issues and examples, our politics have split our country into two very different Americas. How can we change? Is it possible for a third party to break through and unite the country again? 
24m 6s
Jan 2023
Episode 34: Let's Talk About the Differences in Education Systems (China and United States)
In school, we learn things and then take a test to assess what we learned. In everyday life, we take the test then we learn things. In today's episode, we sat down and discussed about the differences in education systems. Let's be honest - many countries are outperforming the Uni ... Show More
5m 37s
Apr 2022
S4E6: What does "Culture" Even Mean and Does the U.S. Even Have One ?
Description: It is hard to know what culture is and how to define, but many people take the you-know-it-when-you-see-it kind of approach. The U.S. has often been accused of not having a culture, or its culture being very young and refined. There is a famous quote that serves as t ... Show More
46m 33s
Oct 2022
Atul Gawande on why American healthcare desperately needs innovation
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, life expectancy in the United States was 79. Today it’s 76. When compared to other countries like the UK and Japan, where life expectancy is above 80, it’s clear that the U.S. has a lot of work to do. Today on The TED Interview, surgeon, writer, and ... Show More
46m 5s
Mar 2022
90. If America Is a Train Wreck, Why Am I Doing Fine?
Why do so many Americans say they’re satisfied with their own lives but upset about the way the country is going? Why don’t other countries experience the same gap? And what do horror movies have in common with Coca-Cola enemas? 
31m 56s
Oct 2021
165. Is It a Positive Development That Countries Are Becoming More and More Similar?
Countries are becoming more and more similar because people are able to buy the same products anywhere in the world. Do you think this is a positive or negative development?   similar->similarities   cultural loss  cultural diversity  diverse    clothing such as saris and dhotis ... Show More
4m 38s
Mar 2021
81. D'où vient la musique country, ancrée dans la culture américaine ?
C'est une musique incontournable aux États-Unis, en particulier dans les États du Sud. Est-ce une musique exclusivement destinée à l'Amérique blanche conservatrice ? Que signifie-t-elle dans la culture américaine ? D'où vient-elle ? Il y a des titres qui font clairement partie du ... Show More
16m 5s
Feb 2021
Personality Politics
Are we predisposed by our personality to be drawn to certain political policies or certain ideologies? And if so, should we take account of this when our views differ from other people? James Tilley, a professor of politics at Oxford University, talks to leading academics in the ... Show More
27m 44s
Oct 2020
The Response USA: The return
As an election approaches in America, we return to a unique experiment which took the temperature of the USA after the surprise election of Donald Trump. In 2016 the BBC World Service, in association with American Public Media, focused on areas which the media had neglected – but ... Show More
51m 13s