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Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

From the podcast that explores the hidden side of everything, hear authors like you’ve never heard them before. Stephen Dubner and a stable of Freakonomics friends talk with the writers of mind-bending books, and we hear the best excerpts as well. You’ll learn about skill versus chance, the American discomfort with death, the secret life of dogs, and much more.

To get every show in the Freakonomics Radio Network without ads and a monthly bonus episode of Freakonomics Radio, start a free trial for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

The Freakonomics Radio Book Club

Adam Moss was the best magazine editor of his generation. When he retired, he took up painting. But he wasn’t very good, and that made him sad. So he wrote a book about how creative people work— and, in the process, he made himself happy again.

 

SOURCE:Adam Moss • , magazine editor and author.

 

RESOURCES:The Work of Art: How Something Comes from Nothing, • by Adam Moss (2024).
 • "
Goodbye, New York. Adam Moss Is Leaving the Magazine He Has Edited for 15 Years • ," by Michael M. Grynbaum (
The New York Times, • 2019).
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking, • by Samin Nosrat (2017).

 

EXTRAS: • "
David Simon Is On Strike. Here’s Why • ," by 
People I (Mostly) Admire • (2023).
 • "
Samin Nosrat Always Wanted to Be Famous • ," by 
Freakonomics Radio • (2023).
 • "
What’s Wrong with Being a One-Hit Wonder? • " by 
Freakonomics Radio • (2023).

25. How to Make Something from Nothing

Licensing began with medicine and law; now it extends to 20 percent of the U.S. workforce, including hair stylists and auctioneers. In a new book, the legal scholar Rebecca Allensworth calls licensing boards “a thicket of self-dealing and ineptitude” and says they keep bad workers in their jobs and good ones out — while failing to protect the public.

 

SOURCES:Rebecca Allensworth • , professor of law at Vanderbilt University.

 

RESOURCES: • "
The Licensing Racket: How We Decide Who Is Allowed to Work, and Why It Goes Wrong • " by Rebecca Allensworth (2025).
 • "
Licensed to Pill, • " by Rebecca Allensworth 
(The New York Review of Books, • 2020).
 • "
Licensing Occupations: Ensuring Quality or Restricting Competition? • " by Morris Kleiner 
(W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, • 2006).
 • "
How Much of Barrier to Entry is Occupational Licensing? • " by Peter Blair and Bobby Chung 
(British Journal of Industrial Relations, • 2019).

 

EXTRAS: • "
Is Ozempic as Magical as It Sounds? • " by 
Freakonomics Radio • (2024).

26. Is Professional Licensing a Racket?

Just beneath the surface of the global economy, there is a hidden layer of dealmakers for whom war, chaos, and sanctions can be a great business opportunity. Javier Blas and Jack Farchy, the authors of The World for Sale, help us shine a light on the shadowy realm of commodity traders.

 

SOURCES:Javier Blas • , opinion columnist at Bloomberg News.
Jack Farchy • , energy and commodities senior reporter at Bloomberg News.

 

RESOURCES:The World For Sale: Money, Power, and the Traders Who Barter the Earth's Resources, • by Javier Blas and Jack Farchy (2021)
The King of Oil: The Secret Lives of Marc Rich, • by Daniel Ammann (2010).

 

EXTRAS: • "
How the Supermarket Helped America Win the Cold War (Update) • " by 
Freakonomics Radio • (2024).
 • "
The First Great American Industry • ," by 
Freakonomics Radio • (2023).

27. The Most Powerful People You’ve Never Heard Of

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 in her new book The Biggest Bluff, she’s willing to tell us everything she learned. Hosted by Stephen Dubner.

1. How to Make Your Own Luck

Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings came to believe that corporate rules can kill creativity and innovation. In this episode, Hastings talks about his new book, No Rules Rules, and why for some companies the greatest risk is taking no risks at all. Hosted by Maria Konnikova.

2. What if Your Company Had No Rules?

As beloved and familiar as they are, we rarely stop to consider life from the dog’s point of view. That stops now. In this episode, we discuss the book Inside of a Dog with author and cognitive scientist (and dog devotee) Alexandra Horowitz. Hosted by Stephen Dubner.

3. Forget Everything You Know About Your Dog

Caitlin Doughty is a mortician who would like to put herself out of business. Our corporate funeral industry, she argues, has made us forget how to offer our loved ones an authentic sendoff. In this episode, Doughty shares insights from her book Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons From the Crematory. Hosted by Maria Konnikova.

4. How to Be Better at Death

New York Times columnist Charles Blow argues that white supremacy in America will never fully recede, and that it’s time for Black people to do something radical about it. In his new book, The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto, he urges a “reverse migration” to the South to consolidate political power and create a region where it’s safe to be Black. Hosted by Stephen Dubner.

5. A Rescue Plan for Black America

In a word: networks. Once it embraced information as its main currency, New York was able to climb out of a deep fiscal (and psychic) pit. Will that magic trick still work after Covid? In this episode, hear Thomas Dyja, author of New York, New York, New York: Four Decades of Success, Excess and Transformation, tell us about the past and future of the Big Apple. Hosted by Kurt Andersen.

6. How Does New York City Keep Reinventing Itself?

The social psychologist Robert Cialdini is a pioneer in the science of persuasion. His 1984 book Influence is a classic, and he has just published an expanded and revised edition. In this episode, he gives a master class in the seven psychological levers that bewitch our rational minds and lead us to buy, behave, or believe without a second thought. Hosted by Stephen Dubner.

7. How to Get Anyone to Do Anything

The economist Amy Finkelstein explains why insurance markets are broken and how to fix them. Also: why can’t you buy divorce insurance?

18. “Insurance Is Sexy.” Discuss.

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