513. Should Public Transit Be Free? (Upd...

<p>A Trump executive order is giving retail investors more access to private markets. Is that a golden opportunity — or fool’s gold?</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://law.duke.edu/fac/defontenay/">Elisabeth de Fontenay,</a> professor of law at D ... Show More

<p>Thoroughbred auction prices keep setting records. But tracks are closing, gambling revenues are falling, and the sport is increasingly reliant on subsidies. Is that the kind of long shot anybody wants? (Part three of a series, “<a href="https://freakonomics.com/the-horse-is-us ... Show More

<p>The world has changed a good bit since <i>Freakonomics</i> was first published. In this live anniversary episode, Stephen Dubner tells Geoff Bennett of <i>PBS NewsHour </i>everything he has learned since then. Happy birthday, <i>Freakonomics.</i></p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOU ... Show More

<p>Economist Daron Acemoglu likes to tackle big questions. He tells Steve how colonialism still affects us today, who benefits from new technology, and why democracy wasn’t always a sure thing.</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCE:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://economics.mit.edu/ ... Show More

<p>Is grade inflation on the rise? How much does your G.P.A. matter in the long run? And when did M.I.T., of all places, become “the cool university”?</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/scotthugo/">Scott Hugo</a>, housing just ... Show More

<p>Would you be more adventurous if you had more structure? Do you multitask while brushing your teeth? And what would Mike’s perfect brother Peter do? </p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/column/david-brooks">David Brooks</a>, opi ... Show More

<p>Can long-term relationships do more harm than good? Where is the line between intimacy and codependence? And should we all try to be more like Mike’s parents?</p><p> </p><p>RESOURCES:</p><ul><li>"<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/06/28/a-record-high-share-o ... Show More

<p>How do friendships change as we get older? Should you join a bowling league? And also: how does a cook become a chef?</p><p> </p><p>RESOURCES:</p><ul><li>“<a href="https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/spc3.12729">Social Support From Weak Ties: Insight From ... Show More

Ever since New York City built one of the world’s great subway systems, no promise has been more tantalizing than the proposal to build a new subway line under Second Avenue in Manhattan. Yet the Second Avenue subway--although first envisioned in the 1920s, did not open until 201 ... Show More

<p>Where is the line between a good guy and a doormat? Do people with sharp elbows make more money? And why did Angela’s mother give away her birthday present?</p><p>Take the Big Five inventory: <a href="http://freakonomics.com/bigfive" target="_blank">freakonomics.com/bigfive</a ... Show More

<p>Economist Michael D. Smith says universities are scrambling to protect a status quo that deserves to die. He tells Steve why the current system is unsustainable, and what’s at stake if nothing changes.</p><p> </p><p>RESOURCES:</p><ul><li><a href="https://amzn.to/3sK5t5r"><i>Th ... Show More

<p>Are modern parents too protective? Why do we worry so much about things that almost never happen? And how did Mike learn about bus stops?</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://psy.fau.edu/people/dbjorklu.php">David Bjorklund</a>, professor of psy ... Show More

A recent Newstalk survey on commuting has found that people are spending longer on their journeys to work since the pandemic. And so all week we’ve been speaking to transport experts, policymakers as well as commuters themselves to hear about the issues being faced on a daily ba ... Show More