logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2025
59m 24s

156. A Solution to America’s Gun Problem

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
About this episode
Jens Ludwig has an idea for how to fix America’s gun violence problem — and it starts by rejecting conventional wisdom from both sides of the political aisle. 
Up next
Jan 17
3. Kerwin Charles: “One Does Not Know Where an Insight Will Come From”
The dean of Yale’s School of Management grew up in a small village in Guyana. During his unlikely journey, he has researched video-gaming habits, communicable disease, and why so many African-Americans haven’t had the kind of success he’s had. Steve Levitt talks to Charles about ... Show More
39m 29s
Jan 10
2. Mayim Bialik: “I Started Crying When I Realized How Beautiful the Universe Is”
She’s best known for playing neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory, but the award-winning actress has a rich life outside of her acting career, as a teacher, mother — and a real-life neuroscientist. Steve Levitt tries to learn more about this one-time academic a ... Show More
45m 30s
Jan 3
1. Steven Pinker: "I Manage My Controversy Portfolio Carefully”
By cataloging the steady march of human progress, the Harvard psychologist and linguist has become a very public intellectual. But the self-declared “polite Canadian” has managed to enrage people on opposite ends of the political spectrum. Steve Levitt tries to understand why. Th ... Show More
42m 40s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2024
221. Why Are We So Pessimistic?
tail spinning
39m 8s
Sep 2024
213. What Is Evil?
tail spinning
39m 15s
Feb 2025
623. Can New York City Win Its War on Rats?
<p>Even with a new rat czar, an arsenal of poisons, and a fleet of new garbage trucks, it won’t be easy — because, at root, the enemy is us. (Part two of <a href="https://freakonomics.com/podcast-tag/sympathy-for-the-rat/">a three-part series</a>, “Sympathy for the Rat.”)</p><p>  ... Show More
50m 23s
Dec 2024
615. Is Ozempic as Magical as It Sounds?
<p>In a wide-ranging conversation with Ezekiel Emanuel, the policymaking physician and medical gadfly, we discuss the massive effects of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. We also talk about the state of cancer care, mysteries in the gut microbiome, flaws in the U.S. ... Show More
56m 49s
Oct 2024
214. What Does It Take to Survive a Scandal?
tail spinning
38m 9s
Jul 2025
Why Does One Tiny State Set the Rules for Everyone? (Update)
<p>Until recently, Delaware was almost universally agreed to be the best place for companies to incorporate. Now, with Elon Musk leading a corporate stampede out of the First State, we revisit an episode from 2023 that asked if Delaware’s “franchise” is wildly corrupt, wildly eff ... Show More
47m 2s
May 2025
How to Succeed at Failing, Part 1: The Chain of Events (Update)
<p>We tend to think of tragedies as a single terrible moment, rather than the result of multiple bad decisions. Can this pattern be reversed? We try — with stories about wildfires, school shootings, and love. (Part one of a <a href="https://freakonomics.com/podcast-tag/how-to-suc ... Show More
55m 38s
Jul 2024
596. Farewell to a Generational Talent
tail spinning
52m 41s
Dec 2024
223. What About All the Questions We Haven’t Answered?
tail spinning
44m 6s
Sep 2024
209. Why Do We Settle?
tail spinning
35m 2s