Stephen J. Dubner

Stephen J. Dubner

Stephen J. Dubner (Stephen Joseph Dubner) was born on August 26th, 1963 and is currently 62 years old. Stephen J. Dubner was born in Duanesburg, NY, USA. Dubner attended Appalachian State University where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree and Columbia University where he received a Master of Fine Arts degree.

Stephen J. Dubner is best known as a popular radio and podcast host, journalist, author, and co-author of the book series Freakonomics. His works often combine economics with storytelling to showcase the hidden side of everyday life via data-driven and quirky insights.

Dubner was the youngest of eight siblings brought up in a Catholic household. What is interesting is that his parents were Jews who became Catholic converts just before he was born.

As an adult, his first job was as a journalist, and during this time, he contributed to papers such as Time, The New Yorker, and The New York Times.

While writing a profile of Steven D. Levitt, the economist became interested in the man’s non-traditional use of economics to look into social issues. They would then work together in publishing the 2005 work Freakonomics, which resulted in a new genre of popular economics.

Stephen J. Dubner is also the host of the weekly podcast Freakonomics Radio that asks questions about decision-making, markets, and human behavior. The podcast is very popular and has been syndicated on public radio in addition to being downloaded hundreds of millions of times.

Outside of economics, Dubner has written many pieces on culture, sports, and religion.

In Freakonomics, Stephen J. Dubner looks into how human behavior is frequently shaped by hidden incentives.

The work showcases cheating by sumo wrestlers and teachers as it explains how real estate agents take advantage of the imbalance in information. They make the argument that the best results usually come when people have moral, social, and economic incentives.

It challenges common myths as it teaches audiences to question expert opinion and evaluate behavior and data with a more critical eye.

Four years later, Stephen J. Dubner published the novel Super Freakonomics, in which he explores how people react to rewards in surprising and sometimes very bizarre ways.

It begins by showing how real estate agents and sex workers in Chicago behave like a business would. It then looks into odd patterns, such as how walking drunk is more perilous than drunk driving and how banking habits can be a telltale sign of terrorist activity.

In Turbulent Souls, Stephen J. Dubner tells of his quest to find his faith and his family.

He was the son of parents who were Jewish, who during the Second World War had become Catholic. As a result, he was brought up as Catholic and never knew he was Jewish until he began looking into his family history while living in New York City.

He ultimately discovered family members and erased traditions, even as he converted back to Judaism as he explored his beliefs and identity.

Stephen J. Dubner: Awards & Accolades

Dubner's book, When to Rob a Bank was nominated for the Goodreads Awards, Best Nonfiction, in 2015.

Stephen J. Dubner: Lists & Other Mentions

• Freakonomics has made several lists including:
  1. Amazon UK: 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime Selection in 2014.
  2. Reader's Digest: 50 Best Nonfiction Books of All Time Selection in 2024.
  3. The Onion AV Club: The Best Books of the 2000s Selection in 2009.
  4. Waterstones: The Books You've Always Meant to Read Selection in 2020.

Related Authors

Fans of Stephen J. Dubner also enjoy these authors:

1. Jon Krakauer, author of: Into the Wild.
2. Michael Lewis, author of: Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game.
3. Malcolm Gladwell, author of: The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference.
4. Stephen King, author of The Dark Tower Series.
5. J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter Series.

Stephen J. Dubner: F.A.Q