Chicago Booth Review Podcast

Should billionaires pay higher fines than the rest of us? Does remote work kill productivity? Is insider trading always bad? The Chicago Booth Review Podcast addresses the big questions in business, policy, and markets with insights from the world’s leading academic researchers. It’s groundbreaking research—explained in a clear and straightforward way.

Why do buses run empty? 07/22/2026

Why do buses run empty? Americans use buses and trains much less than their European counterparts. Yet while they sit in their cars, they are subsidizing buses that run mostly empty. Could the system be tweaked to make everyone better off? Chicago Booth’s Milena Almagro talks about her research on public transit. Is it possible to make the system more sustainable both financially and environmentally? /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/42177515

Will we recover from the “happiness crash”? 07/14/2026

Will we recover from the “happiness crash”? Americans’ self-reported rates of happiness plummeted during COVID and haven’t recovered since. Will they ever? Chicago Booth’s Sam Peltzman talks about his research on happiness. Before 2020, Peltzman says, the US was a “reasonably happy country” for nearly 50 years. But in the past six years, everything has changed. So are we in a permanent happiness slump? /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/42097490

When should you choose to be ignorant? 07/08/2026

When should you choose to be ignorant? Sometimes information is freely available and would be useful, but we choose to avoid it. Why do we do that, and does it make any sense? Chicago Booth’s Jane Risen talks about her research on willful ignorance. As small children most of us are permanently curious and never stop asking why, but older children are more likely to avoid certain information. Why is that, and is our ignorance helping or harming us? /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/41995230

Why leaders should show vulnerability 07/01/2026

Why leaders should show vulnerability Vulnerability is typically perceived as a weakness in professional settings. Chicago Booth’s Christine Carpenter wants us to think of it as a strength when it comes to leadership. So when is it appropriate to be vulnerable? And how can you show vulnerability without coming across as out of your depth or incompetent? /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/41915600

Will Salesforce and Adobe survive the SaaS Apocalypse? 06/24/2026

Will Salesforce and Adobe survive the SaaS Apocalypse? Software as a Service has boomed in recent decades, but now it faces an existential threat from AI. Chicago Booth’s Marc Knez gives us his take on the SaaS Apocalypse. Which companies will survive? Are businesses really going to stop subscribing to software applications housed in the cloud to run their businesses, and what will they do instead? /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/41746315

Why the economy is now intangible 06/16/2026

Why the economy is now intangible The value of the US economy is increasingly accounted for by intangibles – things like intellectual property, brands and customer relationships. How is that changing finance and business? Chicago Booth’s Amir Sufi talks to us about the rise of the intangible economy. Should advance economies abandon the idea of reviving manufacturing, and instead continue to chase intangible value? /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/41674655

Why is housing so segregated? 06/10/2026

Why is housing so segregated? Many US cities are highly racially segregated. Explicit segregation is illegal today, but some patterns of settlement haven’t fundamentally changed. So why does housing segregation persist? Chicago Booth’s Milena Almagro tells us about her research on racial housing covenants. What do the racist housing rules of the 1940s tell us about housing policy today? /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/41593700

How do informal markets work? 06/03/2026

How do informal markets work? Much of the world’s economy is informal, with transactions taking place in street markets. How does business credit operate in that environment? Chicago Booth’s Rimmy Tomy talks about her research on the huge Iewduh bazaar in Shillong, the largest and oldest market in northeast India. Tomy finds that vendors often prefer not to share business metrics with lenders. So how do they get credit? /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/41519850

Does replaying videos change how we watch them? 05/27/2026

Does replaying videos change how we watch them? Do you ever find yourself scrolling through videos on your phone? If so, does watching the same video on repeat change the way you think about it? Chicago Booth’s Kristin Donnelly talks about her research on the “replay illusion.” Why does seeing video of spontaneous events more than once make them seem rehearsed or premeditated? /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/41434230

Who Has Time to Be a “Good” Parent? 05/20/2026

Who Has Time to Be a “Good” Parent? College-educated mothers spend about 300 more hours a year in intensive childcare than mothers with only a high school diploma, yet they enjoy it less. So what’s prompting them to spend so much time with their kids? Ariel Kalil of the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy talks about her research on the parenting time gap. All parents say that childcare is emotionally rewarding, so how can we reduce the gap in how they spend their time? /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/41357445

Do you trust your bank? 05/13/2026

Do you trust your bank? Do you trust your bank? What would it take for you to lose that trust? Chicago Booth’s Rimmy Tomy talks about her research on trust in the financial system. It turns out that you might lose trust in your bank even if it hasn’t done anything wrong. So how should banks, regulators and customers think about the role of trust? /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/41273700

Will private credit spark a financial crisis? 05/06/2026

Will private credit spark a financial crisis? Private credit is in the news, with Wall St. titans including JP Morgan chief Jamie Dimon and Goldman Sachs president John Waldron among those expressing concerns about the sector. How worried should we be? Chicago Booth’s Amir Sufi about his views on where private credit is going. Many investors want their money back, and some funds are limiting withdrawals. Are the worries justified or overblown? /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/41172305

Should we debate less and dialogue more? 04/29/2026

Should we debate less and dialogue more? We’ve all been in a conversation in which our goal is to prove ourselves right and someone else wrong. But even if you win the argument, how much is the other person really won over? Chicago Booth’s Jane Risen about her research on dialogue and debate. When does it make sense to hear people out rather than explicitly try to win them over, and if you find yourself in a debate, how can you steer the conversation more towards dialogue? /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/41052350

Why selfies harm your happiness 04/22/2026

Why selfies harm your happiness How can we have deeper conversations, connect more with others and ultimately, be happier? This is the second episode about the book “A Little More Social: How Small Choices Create Unexpected Happiness, Health, and Connection” by Chicago Booth’s Nick Epley. What can we do to be more social, and what effects could it have on our happiness, wellbeing and perhaps, on society at large? /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/40965335

Does anyone trust Washington? 04/15/2026

Does anyone trust Washington? Trust in American institutions is at an all-time low. But nowhere has trust eroded more than in political institutions. Sixty years ago, 75 percent of Americans trusted the government to do what is right. Today, it’s just 20 percent. What happened? Chicago Booth’s Sam Peltzman discusses his research on American attitudes towards government. When did we lose faith in our political leaders, and which parts of the population are driving the decline? /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/40882545

Why do we avoid talking to people? 04/08/2026

Why do we avoid talking to people? Do you ever find yourself on a crowded train, surrounded by people all looking at their phones? What do you think would happen if you tried to strike up a conversation with the person next to you? Chicago Booth’s Nick Epley tells us about his book, "A Little More Social: How Small Choices Create Unexpected Happiness, Health, and Connection." This is the first of two podcast episodes about the book. Epley says if we chose to have that conversation, it’d be more pleasant than we expect. So why do we set up our lives to avoid talking to others? /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/40771415

Do you identify as a leader? 04/01/2026

Do you identify as a leader? Most of want to be seen as moral, likeable and smart. But beyond that, how does our identity share the way we interact with, manage and lead others? Chicago Booth’s Chris Collins tells us about his approach to identity and leadership. What is that connection, why does it sometimes hold us back, and how can we use it to improve our work? /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/40692775

How Universal is the Marshmallow Test? 03/25/2026

How Universal is the Marshmallow Test? The Marshmallow Test famously gauges children’s ability to wait for a bigger reward. A body of research suggests that the happier we are, the more likely we are to be patient. But many of those studies were undertaken in the US and Europe. So how universal is that conclusion? Chicago Booth’s Oleg Urminsky, whose research examines the connection between emotions and economic decisions around the world. /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/40608770

How hard should you push to make change? 03/18/2026

How hard should you push to make change? Have you ever pushed so hard to make a change in your organization that you ended up damaging your own ability to make that very change? Chicago Booth’s Lisa Stefanac tells us how to think about effecting change. How hard should you push, and when can you know if you’ve gone too far? /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/40413890

How to Get Into Private Equity 03/11/2026

How to Get Into Private Equity You can earn a fortune in private equity. But how do you get started in the PE world? Chicago Booth’s Scott Meadow explains how to plan for a lucrative career as a PE professional. /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/40393035

Can emotions be good for business? 03/04/2026

Can emotions be good for business? Most of us have been trained to keep our emotions out of the workplace. We think emotions can cloud decision-making, lead to irrational behavior, and make others uncomfortable. But can getting in touch with your emotions actually make you a better leader? Chicago Booth’s Chris Collins tells us how treating your emotions as data can help you to manage people and situations better. /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/40308470

Who sets supermarket prices? 02/25/2026

Who sets supermarket prices? Parent companies of supermarket chains often delegate the authority to set prices down to the local level. Is that a good idea, and what does it mean for shoppers? Chicago Booth’s Pradeep Chintagunta about his research on organizational structure and retail prices. /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/40219295

Do consumers care about corporate social responsibility? 02/18/2026

Do consumers care about corporate social responsibility? Do consumers care about corporate social responsibility? And what kind of CSR do consumers think companies should be doing? Chicago Booth’s Abigail Sussman talks about her research on corporate social responsibility. What kinds of actions can companies take to make consumers more willing to spend money with them? /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/40148180

What a missing cat tells us about high-stakes situations 02/11/2026

What a missing cat tells us about high-stakes situations When things get challenging at work, how you change your behavior? Does the stress show, or do you remain cool, focused and productive? Chicago Booth’s Lisa Stefanac tells us how to handle high-stakes situations. /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/40065990

Should AI disagree with you? 02/04/2026

Should AI disagree with you? When you search the internet or use AI, do you want it to agree with you, or are you open to having your mind changed? Chicago Booth’s Oleg Urminsky tells us about his research, which suggests that we often search in a narrow way that ends up giving us results that confirm our views. Should search engines instead aim to open us up to opposing opinions? /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/39988995

Are we too obsessed with numerical data? 01/28/2026

Are we too obsessed with numerical data? Is our increasing obsession with numerical data a bad thing? Chicago Booth’s Erika Kirgios and her coauthors came up with the term “quantification fixation” to describe how we tend to overweight numbers compared to qualitative evidence. What are the risks to that tendency? And how can you use quantification fixation to your advantage? /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/39905880

Can technology make us smarter? 01/21/2026

Can technology make us smarter? Doom-scrolling, social media cat videos and Youtube rabbit holes – you might well think that technology is more mind-numbing than mind-boosting. But could tech actually make us smarter? Chicago Booth’s Pradeep Chintagunta tells us about his research on the effect of technology on small business owners. Could using apps help us to think in new ways and make better decisions? /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/39803220

Could using credit cards more save you money? 01/14/2026

Could using credit cards more save you money? Do you have both a credit-card balance and a savings account? Would you use your savings to pay down your credit-card balance if it would save you money on fees? Chicago Booth’s Abigail Sussman talks about her research that suggests that about one in five people holds a credit-card balance and a savings account, which effectively means they are paying to borrow their own money. What would it take to change their behavior? /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/39720745

How to Become a Venture Capitalist 01/07/2026

How to Become a Venture Capitalist Getting into the venture-capital industry is hard. So how can you plan to break in if you don’t have the relevant experience? Chicago Booth’s Scott Meadow shares his advice for becoming a venture capitalist. /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/39645475

Do gay men have a tougher time buying used cars? 12/31/2025

Do gay men have a tougher time buying used cars? The stereotypical good negotiator is tough, assertive and dominant. When we think of those traits, we may well think of certain stereotypical kind of people who we think fit with that—and who doesn’t fit. So how do people respond differently depending on who they think they’re negotiating with? Chicago Booth’s Erika Kirgios tells us about her research on stereotypes and negotiation in the used-car market. /episode/index/show/thebigquestion/id/39573140

Chicago Booth Review Podcast

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