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. Join the Freakonomics Radio Plus membership program for weekly member-only episodes of Freakonomics Radio. You’ll also get every show in our network without ads. To sign up, visit our show page on Apple Podcasts or go to freakonomics.com/plus.
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episode 580: 580. The True Story of America’s Supremely Messed-Up Immigration System
How did a nation of immigrants come to hate immigration? We start at the beginning, sort through the evidence, and explain why your grandfather was lying about Ellis Island. (Part one of a three-part series.)
- SOURCES:
- Leah Boustan, professor of economics at Princeton University.
- Zeke Hernandez, professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
- Roger Nam, professor of Hebrew Bible at Emory University.
- RESOURCES:
- The Truth About Immigration: Why Successful Societies Welcome Newcomers, by Zeke Hernandez (2024, available for pre-order).
- "The Refugee Advantage: English-Language Attainment in the Early Twentieth Century," by Ran Abramitzky, Leah Platt Boustan, Peter Catron, Dylan Connor, and Rob Voigt (NBER Working Paper, 2023).
- Streets of Gold: America's Untold Story of Immigrant Success, by Leah Boustan and Ran Abramitzky (2022).
- "If Liberals Won't Enforce Borders, Fascists Will," by David Frum (The Atlantic, 2019).
- EXTRAS:
- "Is Migration a Basic Human Right?" by Freakonomics Radio (2015).
- "Who Are the Most Successful Immigrants in the World?" by Freakonomics Radio (2013).