Freakonomics Radio

679. Why Does Vanderbilt Keep Winning?

It's a hard time to run a university: public trust is low, political pressure is high, and finances are fragile. But Daniel Diermeier, who trained as a political scientist, has Vanderbilt humming. How? He says the key is choosing magnets over wedges.

The Prof G Pod

The College Affordability Crisis: Is a Degree Still Worth It? | Office Hours

If we had a drug that reduced suicide rates by 60%, increased your likelihood of getting married by 80%, massively increased the likelihood that you decided to run for public office, doubled your income. If we had that pill, would we hoard that pill? Would we let the cost of that drug quadruple? Well, we have that pill. It's called higher education.