Freakonomics

Ron Paul Answers Your Questions, Part Two

By Stephen J. Dubner — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:19:53 PST

Ron Paul When we solicited your questions for Congressman Ron Paul shortly after the election, so many questions came in that we split Paul's answers into two batches, the first of which was published last week. Here is the second. Like the first batch, they are well-considered and interesting throughout; they will surely make many [...]

Jenkem: Bringing the Levitt Family Together

By Steven D. Levitt — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:14:11 PST

I often get emails from blog readers asking me to shed light on some issue that, in the mind of the email writer, is a pressing social or economic issue. Sometimes it is a big issue like immigration or the financial crisis. More often it is something less mainstream, like election fraud or an unusual [...]

Freddie Mac and Cheese

By Freakonomics — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:43:38 PST

It's not an entire film (and it's not in French), but two more readers, Talya and Pavle, have sent in a video of their song "Fannie Mae Eat Freddie Mac and Cheese," which uses "freakonomics" as a sort of mantra. We like.

What Would You Do in the Worst Case? A Freakonomics Quorum

By Stephen J. Dubner — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:05:29 PST

Photo: Jamesfischer These are the economic times that try men's souls, and women's too. In the past few months, a lot of people have seen their net worth fall substantially, and I'm sure more than a few have contemplated what would happen if they lost everything. So we asked a group of people - Nick Mills, [...]

FREAK Shots: Who Are You Calling Third-World?

By Freakonomics — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 09:34:50 PST

Blog reader Nick Turner sent along this photo of a Body Shop ad in San Francisco: Photo: Nick Turner He was surprised that the ad guarantees fair-labor conditions for workers in Italy: I thought fair-trade protections were for third-world workers. I wonder how the Italians feel about this designation. The ad didn't outright call Italy third-world; but if it had, [...]

Eric Oliver on the "Bigot Belt"

By Steven D. Levitt — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 08:24:32 PST

Eric Oliver is a colleague of mine at the University of Chicago. He is the author of the absolutely fantastic book Fat Politics: The Real Story Behind America's Obesity Epidemic. He has some new and interesting insights on the "Bigot Belt," which he has generously written up for the Freakonomics blog. The Bigot Belt By Eric Oliver A [...]

Bacon Ice Cream and Intertemporal Choice

By Justin Wolfers — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 08:23:22 PST

Photo: lilivanili and shawnzam Yesterday I suggested that tastes may not be stable. And then last night, I had the chance to confront the data directly; my local restaurant was serving bacon ice cream. Bacon: Delicious! Ice cream: My favorite! The combination of bacon and ice cream: a direct threat to my views of economics. [...]

The FREAK-est Links

By Freakonomics — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 09:27:36 PST

Here are the stats and algorithms that explain why Kevin Garnett is an MVP. (HT: Phil Notick) (Earlier) Justin Wolfers's alumni magazine dubs him "The Seeker." (Earlier) Who's making the fat jokes? Stanley Druckenmiller is happy he didn't buy the Steelers. Chicago's schools have third-world math scores. (Earlier)

Would a Market for Organs Punish the Poor More Than They Are Already Punished?

By Stephen J. Dubner — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:38:14 PST

Below is a fascinating statement issued by Physicians for a National Health Program, "a membership organization of over 15,000 physicians [which] supports a single-payer national health insurance program." You should read the whole thing but, in a nutshell: The people who receive donated organs in the U.S. nearly always have health insurance, while a significant fraction [...]

Larry Summers for Treasury Secretary

By Ian Ayres — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:14:56 PST

Larry Summers There is a lot of speculation about whether President-elect Barack Obama will choose Larry Summers to be his Treasury Secretary. But some people are openly opposing Summers's appointment, in part because of controversial comments he made about women in science. It's a close question, but I'm hoping that Obama appoints Summers. I have three reasons: First, [...]

Boston Legal Way Classier Than Beauty and the Geek?

By Stephen J. Dubner — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:43:06 PST

Thanks to all the readers who wrote in last week with news that Freakonomics was mentioned on the TV show Boston Legal. It happened at the end, when the William Shatner character and the James Spader character were having their ritual end-of-the-episode scotch, musing about law and the world. Alan Shore (Spader): Well, it's possible [...]

Is France Due for Riots?

By Sudhir Venkatesh — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:59:10 PST

Photo: cicilief In my last post, I offered several reasons why the urban riot has gone out of style in the U.S. However, France will not be spared the sword. I predict that the world will watch French cities light up in youth unrest in 2009, 2010 at the latest … 2011 for sure. I have been [...]

A Beet Paradox

By Justin Wolfers — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:14:15 PST

Photo: Darwin Bell Beets are the new broccoli. Or at least they will be after Obama takes office on January 20, as the president-elect recently revealed his distaste for this vitamin-laden root vegetable. And Obama is not alone: Even as beet salads have become popular in trendy eateries, most American kids I know also reject the [...]

Time to Check the Santa Index?

By Freakonomics — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 06:48:31 PST

The latest surprise victims of the recession: Small-town Santas. The latest surprise beneficiaries: Internet psychics. Incidentally, consumer confidence has fallen to its lowest level ever recorded. Why ask for toys from Santa when you're asking a psychic about your chances of getting a pink slip this quarter? We're used to watching the TED spread as an indicator of economic [...]

The Weirdest Cookbook You Will Ever Need

By Stephen J. Dubner — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:30:42 PST

Shopsin's is a New York institution, a restaurant that began as a grocery store whose owner, Kenny Shopsin, is colorful, irascible, and talented. It is famous for breakfast but also for its vast, unusual, common-sense menu. From Shopsins.com Shopsin has just written a book that is half cookbook and half memoir, entirely fascinating. I had never sat [...]