Link: http://www.freakonomics.com/2011/01/13/freakonomics-radio-the-economics-of-trash/
Summary: Freakonomics radio sheds a bit of light on the insidious characteristics of the “economics of trash” and asks how incentives effect the level of trash produced by the average household.
Original Air Date: January, 12 2011
Length: 22 min
Link: http://www.freakonomics.com/2012/10/25/we-the-sheeple-a-new-freakonomics-podcast/
Summary: Freakonomics radio interviews Bryan Caplan, author of The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies in order to consider the relationships among the average American voter, their representatives and the democratic system formed in the process.
Original Air Date: October 25, 2012
Length: 23:24 min
Summary: The obesity crisis in America has economists, politicians and healthcare professionals debating the causes and hidden costs of overeating. This podcast considers the moral and political arguments surrounding this growing concern.
Original Air Date: February 26, 2010
Length: 22 minutes
Summary: NPR visits Southern Italy and a Barrila pasta plant in order to outline the importance of leadership and positive peer pressure in the workforce.
Original air date: September 07, 2012
Length: 26:15
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/12/21/167802325/episode-425-an-fbi-hostage-negotiator-buys-a-car
Summary: A discussion of strategic negotiating techniques in the context of the fiscal cliff debate.
Original air date: January 4, 2013
Length: 18:04
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/05/18/153004617/how-do-you-decide-who-gets-lungs
Summary: This podcast outlines the organ market or rather the non-existent, scarce organ market that doctors unfortunately have to face when they put their patients on an organ waiting list.
Original air date: May 18, 2012
Length: 15:11 min
Discussion Prompt (1): Consider the ten principles of economics that Mankiw discussions in Chapter 1. How do they relate to the situation in this podcast?
Discussion Prompt (2): This podcast gives examples of how different systems for allocating lungs create incentives (for doctors, for patients) and thus impact choice. How do you see that incentives, choices and outcomes are impacted if they allocation is based on: whoever is sickest? What if they allocation system is based on who is on the waiting list first? What if the system was a market-based system based on ability to pay? Use examples from the podcast or your own thinking that expands beyond the podcast content.
Follow-up Prompt: You all make some good observations here and lead me to think that it is also important to think about the goal of the system – is the goal to be fair? is the goal for patients not to have to wait? is the goal to have the most number of patients live ? Is the goal to save the sickest? How do you think that understanding the ‘goal’ helps us to see the problems and options for allocation?
Written Assignment Prompt: The podcast mentions doctors signing up patients for lung transplants before they need or are sick enough for them. What are the ethical issues associated with such a decision? Why don’t we see markets at work in this scenario? How might you create an alternate system for allocating this precious item?
Summary: Freakonomics Goes to College features a dual commentary on the benefits and costs of college degrees. Part 1 of the podcast focuses on the shadow economy of fake diplomas as well as how prosperous a college degree is for an individual in the long run.
Original air date: July 30, 2012
Length: 29:58 min
Summary: The podcast is separated in question based segments in which Stephen D. Levitt expresses his personal opinion on different topics such as business, political vs economic theory and the aspects of earning an economic degree.
Original air date: January 4, 2012
Length: 16 min
Link: http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2011/11/baumeister_on_g.html
Summary: Roy Baumeister, a Florida State psychology professor, argues that there is no superiority level between men and woman. Rather, the genders excel at specific areas due to certain trade offs which they decided to take throughout their lives.
Original air date: November 14, 2011
Length: 1:16
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/04/17/150815268/why-people-do-bad-things
Summary: Discussion of the role of cognitive errors in decision making through consideration of the story of an everyman businessman who engaged in million dollar bank fraud.
Original Air Date: April 17, 2012
Length: 25:57
Main story content begins: 3:34
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