logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2023
46m 59s

539. Why Does One Tiny State Set the Rul...

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
About this episode

Delaware is beloved by corporations, bankruptcy lawyers, tax avoiders, and money launderers. Critics say the Delaware “franchise” is undemocratic and corrupt. Insiders say it’s wildly efficient. We say: they’re both right.

Up next
Jul 11
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
Jun 2022
How Tax Dodging And Corporate Secrecy Found A Home In Delaware, With Hal Weitzman
When you think about corporate secrecy, nefarious shell companies and conspiratorial tax dodging, the state of Delaware probably doesn’t come to mind. We often think of exotic places like Panama or Bermuda, but the research of University of Chicago Adjunct Professor Hal Weitzman ... Show More
32m 50s
Mar 2018
15: “We the People:” Constitution Making in Philly
“What even is the Virginia Plan but democracy checked by democracy, or pork with a little change of the sauce?” This is the story of 55 men from 12 of the 13 sovereign states gathered at the Pennsylvania State House during the miserably hot Philadelphian summer of 1787. They are ... Show More
1h 2m
Jan 2022
Why Companies Should Stop Political Spending Now
A decade ago, the U.S. Supreme Court changed the rules on how businesses could donate to political campaigns. Since then, hundreds of millions of corporate dollars have been spent on local, state, and federal elections, often without transparency. Many CEOs and boards feel this i ... Show More
26m 36s
May 2022
Wealthy People vs. Taxes
It happens every year as tax season comes around in the US. Numerous media outlets publish excoriating investigations of wealthy corporations and individuals that, somehow, don't seem to be paying taxes. And the majority of American citizens believe the system is, in one way or a ... Show More
57m 52s
Mar 2018
Does America Have a Monopoly Problem?
“Politicians from both parties publicly worship the solemn dignity of entrepreneurship and small businesses. But by the numbers, America has become the land of the big and the home of the consolidated,” writes The Atlantic’s Derek Thompson. In a time when Americans have lost fait ... Show More
47m 6s
Jan 2024
#53 Jason Brennan - The Case Against Democracy
Jason Brennan is an American philosopher and business professo at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. Brennan writes about democratic theory, the ethics of voting, competence and power, freedom, and the moral foundations of commercial society. (Wikipedia.) ... Show More
57m 46s
Mar 2024
The Delaware Wedge, Part One: A Tiny State with Massive History
Although it's the second-smallest state in the US, don't let Delaware's diminutive geography fool you. This state has a tremendous economy, and loads of ridiculous history in its past. In this week's special two-part series, the guys dive into the history of a strange conflict th ... Show More
27m 51s
Feb 2024
Why Elon Musk is breaking up with Delaware
A Delaware court recently struck down Elon Musk’s $56 billion Tesla pay package. Soon after, Musk took to his social network X and offered some advice: “Never incorporate your company in the state of Delaware.” But will anyone take it? The FT’s Wall Street editor Sujeet Indap exp ... Show More
15m 44s
Mar 2024
How business leaders can renew democracy | Daniella Ballou-Aares
How much should business leaders speak out about threats to democracy? It's a question many corporations are wrestling with these days. Business and democracy leader Daniella Ballou-Aares shows why companies have both the ability and the responsibility to engage in protecting ele ... Show More
12 m
Jan 2017
Public contracts: tax dodger free zones
In the January 2017 Taxcast we look at tax justice and public procurement - the efforts to hit tax dodging companies where it really hurts on a local level – trying to stop them bidding for public money for public contracts. Also: how massive amounts of money are flowing into Tax ... Show More
31m 8s