logo
episode-header-image
Aug 6
47m 25s

Why Does Tipping Still Exist? (Update)

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
About this episode
It’s a haphazard way of paying workers, and yet it keeps expanding. With federal tax policy shifting in a pro-tip direction, we revisit an episode from 2019 to find out why. 
Up next
Nov 21
654. Is the Public Ready for Private Equity?
<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
1h 3m
Nov 14
653. Does Horse Racing Have a Future?
<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
1h 1m
Nov 12
What Happens When You Turn 20
<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
1h 2m
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
Sendhil Mullainathan Thinks Messing Around Is the Best Use of Your Time (Update)
<p>Revisiting Steve’s 2021 conversation with the economist and MacArthur “genius” about how to make memories stickier, why change is undervalued, and how to find something new to say on the subject of scarcity.</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCE:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://s ... Show More
46m 54s
Apr 2025
Challenging mainstream economics
An academic from India and writer from Denmark talk to Ella Al-Shamahi about how the way economies are measured influences policy and undervalues both unpaid and paid care work, and affects the lives of women on every level. Emma Holten is a Danish feminist commentator whose book ... Show More
26m 29s
Aug 30
165. The Economist Who (Gasp!) Asks People What They Think
<p>Stefanie Stantcheva’s approach seemed like career suicide. In fact, it won her the John Bates Clark Medal. She talks to fellow winner Steve Levitt about why she uses methods that most of the profession dismisses — and what she’s found that can’t be learned any other way.</p><p ... Show More
53m 14s
Sep 2024
209. Why Do We Settle?
<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
35m 2s
Oct 10
#830: Nick Kokonas and Richard Thaler, Nobel Prize Laureate — Realistic Economics, Avoiding The Winner’s Curse, Using Temptation Bundling, and Going Against the Establishment
<p><a href="https://x.com/r_thaler?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Richard H. Thaler</strong></a> is the 2017 recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to behavioral economics and the Charles R. Walgreen Distinguis ... Show More
1h 57m
Aug 18
S19E24: Why Chili’s Is Winning While Other Restaurants Struggle (August 18, 2025)
<p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1002655/open_sms">Send us a text</a></p><p>Chili’s just posted five straight quarters of growth and a 39% sales jump, bucking the trend in a struggling casual dining sector.</p><p>On today’s <em>Market Ou ... Show More
22m 48s
Sep 1
This small change can make a politician electable
What determines who you vote for? You probably think it's due to rational reasons. Economy. Sustainability. Immigration. Growth. But research shows that your choice of vote isn’t as logical as you might expect. In fact, all of our votes can be swayed by a largely irrelevant facto ... Show More
25m 36s
Sep 3
The Real Story of Margaret Thatcher - Iain Dale
The Real Story of Margaret Thatcher - Iain Dale Triggernometry is proudly independent. Thanks to the sponsors below for making that possible: - Cape - America's privacy-first mobile carrier. Click https://cape.co/trigger - Promo Code: TRIGGER33 for 33% off - Shopify! Sign up for ... Show More
1h 30m
Oct 21
Slow Down or Die w/ Timothée Parrique
In this episode, Timothée Parrique joins us for a discussion on degrowth. We begin the conversation with explaining the concept of degrowth, looking at its history, and really unpacking what it is and what it isn't. We talk about degrowth's two-fold agenda to both downscale produ ... Show More
1h 27m
Oct 18
Is There a Fair Way to Divide Us? (Update)
<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
1 h