Freakonomics Radio

We spend billions on our pets, and one of the fastest-growing costs is pet "aftercare." But are those cremated remains you got back really from your pet?

The science of what works -- and doesn't work -- in fund-raising

Dubner and Levitt field your queries in this latest installment of our FREAK-quently Asked Questions.

A 19th-century Georgia land lottery may have something to teach us about today's income inequality.

Think you know how much parents matter? Think again. Economists crunch the numbers to learn the ROI on child-rearing.

Once upon a time, office workers across America lived in fear of a dreaded infirmity. Was the computer keyboard really the villain -- and did carpal tunnel syndrome really go away?

There are more than twice as many suicides as murders in the U.S., but suicide attracts far less scrutiny. Freakonomics Radio digs through the numbers and finds all kinds of surprises.

It's impossible to say for sure, but the Lebanese do remarkably well. Why?

Human beings love to predict the future, but we're quite terrible at it. So how about punishing all those bad predictions?

Chicago has given the world more than sausage, crooked politics, and Da Bears.

We worship the tradition of handing off a family business to the next generation. But is that really such a good idea?

Even American parents have a strong "son preference" -- which means that a newborn daughter can be bad news for a marriage.

You know the saying: a winner never quits and a quitter never wins. To which Freakonomics Radio says ... Are you sure?

The Encyclopedia of Ethical Failures catalogs the fiscal, sexual, and mental lapses of federal workers -- all with an eye toward preventing the next big mistake.

Is junk food an abomination or a modern miracle?

What does "Pride and Prejudice" have to do with nuclear deterrence?

What happens to your reputation when you're no longer around to defend it?

You might think that someone with a 50-50 chance of getting a fatal disease would want to know for sure -- but you would be wrong. What does this say about our supposed thirst for certainty?

Yet another reason to blame your parents for pretty much everything.

It's awkward, random, confusing -- and probably discriminatory too.