Best Stephen J Dubner Podcasts (2025)

1
631. Will "3 Summers of Lincoln" Make It to Broadway? 46:19

1d ago46:19

46:19

It’s been in development for five years and has at least a year to go. On the eve of its out-of-town debut, the actor playing Lincoln quit. And the producers still need to raise another $15 million to bring the show to New York. There really is no business like show business. (Part three of a three-part series.) SOURCES: Christopher Ashley, artisti…

1
Is It a Theater Piece or a Psychological Experiment? (Update) 37:13

4d ago37:13

37:13

In an episode from 2012, we looked at what Sleep No More and the Stanford Prison Experiment can tell us about who we really are. SOURCES: Felix Barrett, artistic director of Punchdrunk. Steven Levitt, professor of economics at the University of Chicago. Philip Zimbardo, professor emeritus at Stanford University. RESOURCES: “Philip Zimbardo, the psy…

1
630. On Broadway, Nobody Knows Nothing 1:01:30

9d ago1:01:30

1:01:30

A hit like Hamilton can come from nowhere while a sure bet can lose $20 million in a flash. We speak with some of the biggest producers in the game — Sonia Friedman, Jeffrey Seller, Hal Luftig — and learn that there is only one guarantee: the theater owners always win. (Part two of a three-part series.) SOURCES: Debby Buchholz, managing director of…

1
629. How Is Live Theater Still Alive? 59:43

15d ago59:43

59:43

It has become fiendishly expensive to produce, and has more competition than ever. And yet the believers still believe. Why? And does the world really want a new musical about ... Abraham Lincoln?! (Part one of a three-part series.) SOURCES: Christopher Ashley, artistic director of La Jolla Playhouse. Quentin Darrington, actor. Joe DiPietro, playwr…

1
Policymaking Is Not a Science — Yet (Update) 45:28

17d ago45:28

45:28

Why do so many promising solutions in education, medicine, and criminal justice fail to scale up into great policy? And can a new breed of “implementation scientists” crack the code? SOURCES: Patti Chamberlain, senior research scientist at the Oregon Social Learning Center. John List, professor of economics at the University of Chicago. Lauren Supp…

1
628. Sludge, Part 2: Is Government the Problem, or the Solution? 48:31

22d ago48:31

48:31

There is no sludgier place in America than Washington, D.C. But there are signs of a change. We’ll hear about this progress — and ask where Elon Musk and DOGE fit in. (Part two of a two-part series.) SOURCES: Benjamin Handel, professor of economics at UC Berkeley. Neale Mahoney, professor of economics at Stanford University. Jennifer Pahlka, founde…

1
627. Sludge, Part 1: The World Is Drowning in It 54:34

29d ago54:34

54:34

Insurance forms that make no sense. Subscriptions that can’t be cancelled. A never-ending blizzard of automated notifications. Where does all this sludge come from — and how much is it costing us? (Part one of a two-part series.) SOURCES: Benjamin Handel, professor of economics at UC Berkeley. Neale Mahoney, professor of economics at Stanford Unive…

1
Should America Be Run by … Trader Joe’s? (Update) 48:01

1M ago48:01

48:01

The quirky little grocery chain with California roots and German ownership has a lot to teach all of us about choice architecture, efficiency, frugality, collaboration, and team spirit. SOURCES: Kirk DesErmia, facilities manager in Seward, Alaska. Mark Gardiner, journalist and author. Sheena Iyengar, professor of business at Columbia Business Schoo…

1
626. Ten Myths About the U.S. Tax System 1:03:55

1M ago1:03:55

1:03:55

Nearly everything that politicians say about taxes is at least half a lie. They are also dishonest when it comes to the national debt. Stephen Dubner finds one of the few people in Washington who is willing to tell the truth — and it’s even worse than you think. SOURCES: Jessica Riedl, senior fellow in budget, tax, and economic policy at the Manhat…

1
625. The Biden Policy That Trump Hasn’t Touched 1:03:14

2M ago1:03:14

1:03:14

Lina Khan, the youngest F.T.C. chair in history, reset U.S. antitrust policy by thwarting mega-mergers and other monopolistic behavior. This earned her enemies in some places, and big fans in others — including the Trump administration. Stephen Dubner speaks with Khan about her tactics, her track record, and her future. SOURCES: Lina Khan, former c…

1
EXTRA: The Downside of Disgust (Update) 44:28

2M ago44:28

44:28

It’s a powerful biological response that has preserved our species for millennia. But now it may be keeping us from pursuing strategies that would improve the environment, the economy, even our own health. So is it time to dial down our disgust reflex? You can help fix things — as Stephen Dubner does in this 2021 episode — by chowing down on some d…

1
624. The Animal No One Loves, Until They Do 45:19

2M ago45:19

45:19

To most people, the rat is vile and villainous. But not to everyone! We hear from a scientist who befriended rats and another who worked with them in the lab — and from the animator who made one the hero of a Pixar blockbuster. (Part three of a three-part series, “Sympathy for the Rat.”) SOURCES: Bethany Brookshire, author of Pests: How Humans Crea…

1
623. Can New York City Win Its War on Rats? 50:23

2M ago50:23

50:23

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 three-part series, “Sympathy for the Rat.”) SOURCES: Kathy Corradi, director of rodent mitigation for New York City. Robert Corrigan, urban rodentologist and pest consultant for New York City. Ed G…

1
The Show That Never Happened 13:49

2M ago13:49

13:49

A brief meditation on loss, relativity, and the vagaries of show business. RESOURCES: Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry, documentary (2021) Genius & Anxiety: How Jews Changed the World, 1847-1947, by Norman Lebrecht (2019) The War Room, documentary (1993) EXTRAS: “Is San Francisco a Failed State? (And Other Questions You Shouldn’t Ask the …

1
622. Why Does Everyone Hate Rats? 41:23

2M ago41:23

41:23

New York City’s mayor calls them “public enemy number one.” History books say they caused the Black Death — although recent scientific evidence disputes that claim. So is the rat a scapegoat? And what does our rat hatred say about us? (Part one of a three-part series.) SOURCES: Bethany Brookshire, author of Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains.…

1
621. Is Professional Licensing a Racket? 55:15

3M ago55:15

55:15

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 publi…

1
When Is a Superstar Just Another Employee? (Update) 1:08:38

3M ago1:08:38

1:08:38

In 2023, the N.F.L. players’ union conducted a workplace survey that revealed clogged showers, rats in the locker room — and some insights for those of us who don’t play football. Today we’re updating that episode, with extra commentary from Omnipresent Football Guy (and former Philadelphia Eagle) Jason Kelce. SOURCES: Tom Garfinkel, vice chairman,…

1
620. Why Don’t Running Backs Get Paid Anymore? 1:01:21

3M ago1:01:21

1:01:21

They used to be the N.F.L.’s biggest stars, with paychecks to match. Now their salaries are near the bottom, and their careers are shorter than ever. We speak with an analytics guru, an agent, some former running backs (including LeSean McCoy), and the economist Roland Fryer (a former Pop Warner running back himself) to understand why. SOURCES: Bri…

1
619. How to Poison the A.I. Machine 52:05

3M ago52:05

52:05

When the computer scientist Ben Zhao learned that artists were having their work stolen by A.I. models, he invented a tool to thwart the machines. He also knows how to foil an eavesdropping Alexa and how to guard your online footprint. The big news, he says, is that the A.I. bubble is bursting. SOURCES: Erik Brynjolfsson, professor of economics at …

1
Is San Francisco a Failed State? (And Other Questions You Shouldn’t Ask the Mayor) 59:01

3M ago59:01

59:01

Stephen Dubner, live on stage, mixes it up with outbound mayor London Breed, and asks economists whether A.I. can be “human-centered” and if Tang is a gateway drug. SOURCES: London Breed, former mayor of San Francisco. Erik Brynjolfsson, professor of economics at Stanford University Koleman Strumpf, professor of economics at Wake Forest University …

1
618. Are Realtors Having an Existential Crisis? 53:07

3M ago53:07

53:07

Their trade organization just lost a huge lawsuit. Their infamous commission model is under attack. And there are way too many of them. If they go the way of travel agents, will we miss them when they’re gone? SOURCES: Sonia Gilbukh, assistant professor of real estate at CUNY Baruch College. Kevin Sears, 2025 president of the National Association o…

1
617. Are You Really Allergic to Penicillin? 1:03:50

4M ago1:03:50

1:03:50

Like tens of millions of people, Stephen Dubner thought he had a penicillin allergy. Like the vast majority, he didn’t. This misdiagnosis costs billions of dollars and causes serious health problems, so why hasn’t it been fixed? And how about all the other things we think we’re allergic to? SOURCES: Kimberly Blumenthal, allergist-immunologist and r…

1
Highway Signs and Prison Labor 38:36

4M ago38:36

38:36

Incarcerated people grow crops, fight wildfires, and manufacture everything from prescription glasses to highway signs — often for pennies an hour. Zachary Crockett takes the next exit, in this special episode of The Economics of Everyday Things. SOURCES: Laura Appleman, professor of law at Willamette University. Christopher Barnes, inmate at the F…

1
Can Academic Fraud Be Stopped? (Update) 1:08:57

4M ago1:08:57

1:08:57

Probably not — the incentives are too strong. But a few reformers are trying. We check in on their progress, in an update to an episode originally published last year. (Part 2 of 2) SOURCES: Max Bazerman, professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. Leif Nelson, professor of business administration at the University of Californi…

1
Why Is There So Much Fraud in Academia? (Update) 1:15:08

4M ago1:15:08

1:15:08

Some of the biggest names in behavioral science stand accused of faking their results. Last year, an astonishing 10,000 research papers were retracted. In a series originally published in early 2024, we talk to whistleblowers, reformers, and a co-author who got caught up in the chaos. (Part 1 of 2) SOURCES: Max Bazerman, professor of business admin…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Stephen J Dubner Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

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Freakonomics Radio

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

1
Footy for Two

Solomon Dubner & Stephen J. Dubner

1
Steven D Levitt and Stephen J Dubner: Meet the Author

Apple Inc.

1
Tell Me Something I Don't Know

Stephen J. Dubner and Stitcher

1
631. Will "3 Summers of Lincoln" Make It to Broadway? 46:19

1
Is It a Theater Piece or a Psychological Experiment? (Update) 37:13

1
630. On Broadway, Nobody Knows Nothing 1:01:30

1
629. How Is Live Theater Still Alive? 59:43

1
Policymaking Is Not a Science — Yet (Update) 45:28

1
628. Sludge, Part 2: Is Government the Problem, or the Solution? 48:31

1
627. Sludge, Part 1: The World Is Drowning in It 54:34

1
Should America Be Run by … Trader Joe’s? (Update) 48:01

1
626. Ten Myths About the U.S. Tax System 1:03:55

1
625. The Biden Policy That Trump Hasn’t Touched 1:03:14

1
EXTRA: The Downside of Disgust (Update) 44:28

1
624. The Animal No One Loves, Until They Do 45:19

1
623. Can New York City Win Its War on Rats? 50:23

1
The Show That Never Happened 13:49

1
622. Why Does Everyone Hate Rats? 41:23

1
621. Is Professional Licensing a Racket? 55:15

1
When Is a Superstar Just Another Employee? (Update) 1:08:38

1
620. Why Don’t Running Backs Get Paid Anymore? 1:01:21

1
619. How to Poison the A.I. Machine 52:05

1
Is San Francisco a Failed State? (And Other Questions You Shouldn’t Ask the Mayor) 59:01

1
618. Are Realtors Having an Existential Crisis? 53:07

1
617. Are You Really Allergic to Penicillin? 1:03:50

1
Highway Signs and Prison Labor 38:36

1
Can Academic Fraud Be Stopped? (Update) 1:08:57

1
Why Is There So Much Fraud in Academia? (Update) 1:15:08