About this episode
Yesterday
659. Can Marty Makary Fix the F.D.A.?
It regulates 20 percent of the U.S. economy, and its commissioner has an aggressive agenda — faster drug approvals, healthier food, cures for diabetes and cancer. How much can he deliver? (Part two of “The Freakonomics Radio Guide to Getting Better.”) SOURCES:Marty Makary, commis ... Show More
55m 25s
Jan 9
658. This Is Your Brain on Supplements
We all want to stay sharp, and forestall the cognitive effects of aging. But do brain supplements actually work? Are they safe? And why doesn’t the F.D.A. even know what’s in them? (Part one of “The Freakonomics Radio Guide to Getting Better.”) SOURCES:Marty Makary, commissioner ... Show More
53m 10s
Jan 2
Are Personal Finance Gurus Giving You Bad Advice? (Update)
One Yale economist certainly thinks so. But even if he’s right, are economists any better? We find out, in this update of a 2022 episode. SOURCES:James Choi, professor of finance at the Yale School of Management.Morgan Housel, personal finance author and partner at the Collaborat ... Show More
1 h
Sep 2024
209. Why Do We Settle?
35m 2s
Mar 2024
WTH is Going On at Harvard? Larry Summers Explains
Following the terrorist attacks of October 7th, Harvard University was among several elite bastions of higher education to show its true colors – moral relativism, raw antisemitism on campus, and poor leadership. Harvard, like other elite institutions, has and will continue to su ... Show More
58m 31s
Jul 2018
Adam Smith: what he thought, and why it matters [Audio]
Speaker(s): Jesse Norman MP | At a time when economics and politics are both increasingly polarized between left and right, this book, Adam Smith: What He Thought, and Why it Matters, which Jesse Norman will discuss at this event, returns to intellectual first principles to recre ... Show More
1h 3m
May 2025
We Need More Embodied Education! A Conversation with Arawana Hayashi, Prof Guy Claxton, Dr Akhil K. Singh, Emily Poel and Caroline Williams
This week we're exploring embodiment science in education with some of the worlds leading embodiment practitioners and cognitive scientists! We believe that this is one of the most important shifts happening in education globally, which is simultaneously so simple, and yet so har ... Show More
1h 13m
Nov 2020
Dr. Sinan Aral: MIT Professor and Social-Media Scientist
Dr. Sinan Aral is the David Austin Professor of Management and Professor, Information Technology and Marketing at MIT. He’s a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Northwestern University. He has Master’s degrees from the London School of Economics and Harvard University. And he has a PhD f ... Show More
1h 3m
Sep 2024
Is the world facing a state of permacrisis?
Leading economists Mike Spence and Mohamed El-Erian talk about the “pretty complicated and disorienting environment” we face. In this episode of the McKinsey Global Institute’s Forward thinking podcast, co-host Michael Chui talks with A. Michael Spence, dean emeritus of the Stan ... Show More
49m 24s
Oct 18
Is There a Fair Way to Divide Us? (Update)
1 h
Jul 2025
Academia’s Evolving Role in Shaping People and Society - Dr. Chaouki Abdallah, President of LAU
Dr. Chaouki Abdallah is a globally renowned academic leader and the current President of the Lebanese American University (LAU). He previously served as President of the University of New Mexico and as Executive Vice President for Research at Georgia Tech, where he oversaw a rese ... Show More
1h 5m
Apr 2025
How technocracy has become our reality
As tech billionaires infiltrate the White House, the question looms, “Who really rules us, the government or Silicon Valley?" This film examines the influence and ideology of technocrats over the last century, and asks whether they pose a threat to democracy. Contributors: Gil Du ... Show More
25m 39s
Feb 2025
Does class inequality still matter? The Great British Class Survey ten years on
Contributor(s): Aditya Chakrabortty, Clare MacGillivray, Professor Mike Savage , Zarah Sultana MP | It is ten years since the seminal Social Class in the 21st Century was published. We will revisit the findings, ask if the trends have changed, why class seems to have fallen off t ... Show More
1h 23m
We think of them as intellectual enclaves and the surest route to a better life. But U.S. colleges also operate like firms, trying to differentiate their products to win market share and prestige points. In the first episode of a special series originally published in 2022, we ask what our chaotic system gets right — and wrong. (Part 1 of “Freakonomics Radio ... Show More
<p>Why does the U.S. use Fahrenheit when Celsius is better? Would you quit your job if a coin flip told you to? And how do you get an entire country to drive on the other side of the road?</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://psychology.ku.edu/peop ... Show More
<p>Moon Duchin is a math professor at the University of Chicago whose theoretical work has practical applications for voting and democracy. Why is striving for fair elections so difficult?</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://publicpolicy.cornell.e ... Show More
