589. Why Has the Opioid Crisis Lasted So Long?
23 May - 48 minsMost epidemics flare up, do their damage, and fade away. This one has been raging for almost 30 years. To find out why, it’s time to ask some uncomfortable questions. (Part one of a two-part series.)
SOURCES:David Cutler, professor of economics at Harvard University.Travis Donahoe, professor of health policy and management at the University of Pittsburgh.Keith Humphreys, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University.Stephen Loyd, chief medical officer of Cedar Recovery and chair of the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council.
RESOURCES:"Thick Market Externalities and the Persistence of the Opioid Epidemic," by David Cutler and J. Travis Donahoe (NBER Working Paper,...
Series Episodes
592. How to Make the Coolest Show on Broadway
Hit by Covid, runaway costs, and a zillion streams of competition, serious theater is in serious trouble. A new hit play called "Stereophonic" — the most Tony-nominated play in history — has something to say about that. We speak with the people who make it happen every night. (Part one of a two-part series.)
1 hour 5 mins
13 June Finished
591. Signs of Progress, One Year at a Time
Every December, a British man named Tom Whitwell publishes a list of 52 things he’s learned that year. These fascinating facts reveal the spectrum of human behavior, from fraud and hypocrisy to Whitwell’s steadfast belief in progress. Should we also believe?
53 mins
6 June Finished
EXTRA: The Opioid Tragedy — How We Got Here
An update of our 2020 series, in which we spoke with physicians, researchers, and addicts about the root causes of the crisis — and the tension between abstinence and harm reduction.
41 mins
3 June Finished
590. Can $55 Billion End the Opioid Epidemic?
Thanks to legal settlements with drug makers and distributors, states have plenty of money to boost prevention and treatment. Will it work? (Part two of a two-part series.)
40 mins
30 May Finished
Extra: Car Colors & Storage Units
Presenting two stories from "The Economics of Everyday Things": Why does it seem like every car is black, white, or gray these days? And: How self-storage took over America.
35 mins
20 May Finished
