Freakonomics Radio

Author: Freakonomics Radio Stitcher

Freakonomics co-author Stephen J. Dubner uncovers the hidden side of everything. Why is it safer to fly in an airplane than drive a car? How do we decide whom to marry? Why is the media so full of bad news? Also: things you never knew you wanted to know about wolves, bananas, pollution, search engines, and the quirks of human behavior. 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.
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695. Can the U.S. Close Its Fertility Gap?
Episode 695
Friday, 13 November, 2026

Americans are having fewer children than they want. Government attempts to boost birth rates haven’t done much. But new research points to a surprisingly simple way to help — and it starts at home. (Part one of a two-part series.) SOURCES:Nick Bloom, professor of economics at Stanford University.Melissa Kearney, professor of economics at the University of Notre Dame.Lyman Stone, director of the Pronatalism Initiative at the Institute for Family Studies. RESOURCES:"Does Remote Work Increase Fertility?" by Andrew C. Johnston (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2026)."Is the iPhone Birth Control? Causal Evidence from AT&T’s 2007–2011 Carrier Monopoly," by Caitlin K. Meyers and Ezekiel Hooper (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2026)."Work from Home and Fertility," by Steven J. Davis, Cevat Giray Aksoy, Jose Maria Barrero, Nicholas Bloom, Katelyn Cranney, Mathias Dolls, and Pablo Zarate (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2026)."Why is Fertility so Low in High Income Countries?" by Melissa Schettini Kearney and Phillip B. Levine (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2025)."Can Housing Policy Raise Birth Rates? Lessons from Federal Mortgage Programs During the Baby Boom," by Lisa J. Dettling and Melissa Schettini Kearney (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2025). EXTRAS:"The Facts Are In: Two Parents Are Better Than One," by Freakonomics Radio (2023)."The Unintended Consequences of Working from Home," by Freakonomics Radio (2022)."The Fracking Boom, a Baby Boom, and the Retreat From Marriage," by Freakonomics Radio (2017)."Does 'Early Education' Come Way Too Late?" by Freakonomics Radio (2015). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.