Can a hit single from four decades ago still pay the bills? Zachary Crockett f-f-f-finds out in the third episode of our newest podcast, "The Economics of Everyday Things."
Oct 16
691. Is This What a “Good Billionaire” Looks Like?
David Rubenstein, a product of the old bipartisan D.C., made his fortune in private equity. He’s been spending it on “patriotic philanthropy” and institutions like the Kennedy Center, where Trump fired him as chairman. Now he wonders if the center can hold. SOURCES:David Rubenste ... Show More
43m 23s
Oct 9
690. It’s Show Business, Baby!
Podcasting started as a niche-nerd pursuit. Now it’s a $9 billion industry. Is that a lot? The strange economics of this thing we do. SOURCES:Jim Bankoff, chairman and C.E.O. of Vox Media.Ben Davis, head of digital at WME.Will Page, former chief economist at Spotify and author of ... Show More
1h 1m
Oct 2
689. Here’s Why Your Hamburger Just Got So Pricey
An economist calls America’s beef industry a “miracle.” An antitrust scholar calls it “broken.” Maybe they’re both right? SOURCES:Austin Frerick, agriculture antitrust expert, fellow at Yale University, author of Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America's Food Industry ... Show More
49m 25s
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 2024
Underconsumption Core, Recession Pop & Projecting Meaning Onto Poverty
<p>Does a crap economy spawn better music? And should being frugal be a trend, a lifestyle choice or just a case of bloody getting on with things? This week, hosts Ione and Gina dig into the self narration that has been bred into us by social media and whether, during the worst r ... Show More
28m 27s
Sep 2021
Selects: Planned Obsolescence: Engine of the Consumer Economy
<p>If you’ve ever heard an old timer gripe that things aren’t built like they used to be, that old timer was right! In this classic episode, learn about the nefarious, possibly mythical, mechanism that’s responsible for the cruddy products and waste our consumer society is based ... Show More
55m 46s
Mar 2018
Future Economics Part 1: The Money Talk
For this episode, Autumn and adrienne peel back the layers of story, assumption and shame around class, debt and money.
This is the first of an on-going series that will look at post apocalyptic economics.
Additional music from Tunde Olaniran, Mother Cyborg and Blue Dot Session ... Show More
1h 8m
Dec 2020
Episode 3 - Economy
On the third and final episode of Planet B, we talk about the economy. We are joined by Fred Joiner, a poet; Keith Hart, an economic anthropologist; Alex Gladstein, Chief Strategy Officer at the Human Rights Foundation; Flora Mile, a sustainability consultant; and Taylor Johnson, ... Show More
15m 35s