Sixty percent of the jobs that Americans do today didn’t exist in 1940. What happens as our labor becomes more technical and less physical? And what kinds of jobs will exist in the future?

• SOURCES:
  • David Autor, professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  • Paula Barmaimon, manager of coverage and audience analytics at The New York Times.
  • Ellen Griesedieck, artist and president of the American Mural Project.
  • Adina Lichtman, co-host of the Our Friends Are Smart party.
  • Avi Popack, co-host of the Our Friends Are Smart party.
  • Huck Scarry, author and illustrator.
  • James Suzman, anthropologist and author.
  • Ben Varon, rabbi and chaplain at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn .

• RESOURCES:
  • "New Frontiers: The Origins and Content of New Work, 1940–2018," by David Autor, Caroline Chin, Anna Salomons, and Bryan Seegmiller (The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2024).
  • Work: A Deep History, from the Stone Age to the Age of Robots, by James Suzman (2020).
  • Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do, by Studs Terkel (1974).
  • What Do People Do All Day?, by Richard Scarry (1968).
  • "Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren," by John Maynard Keynes (1930).
  • American Mural Project.

• EXTRAS:
  • "Will the Democrats 'Make America Great Again'?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • "How to Stop Worrying and Love the Robot Apocalypse," by Freakonomics Radio (2021).
  • "Did China Eat America’s Jobs?" by Freakonomics Radio (2017).
  • People I (Mostly) Admire.

His research on police brutality and school incentives won him acclaim, but also enemies. He was suspended for two years by Harvard, during which time he took a hard look at corporate diversity programs. As a follow-up to our recent series on the Rooney Rule, we revisit our 2022 conversation with the controversial economist.

• SOURCE:
  • Roland Fryer, professor of economics at Harvard University.

• RESOURCES:
  • "How to Make Up the Covid Learning Loss," by Roland Fryer (Wall Street Journal, 2022).
  • "Roland Fryer on Better Alternatives to Defunding the Police," by Roland Fryer (The Economist, 2020).
  • "Harvard Suspends Roland Fryer, Star Economist, After Sexual Harassment Claims," by Ben Casselman and Jim Tankersley (The New York Times, 2019).
  • "Why Diversity Programs Fail: And What Works Better," by Frank Dobbin and Alexandra Kalev (Harvard Business Review, 2016).
  • "An Empirical Analysis of Racial Differences in Police Use of Force," by Roland G. Fryer, Jr (NBER Working Paper, 2016).
  • "Getting Beneath the Veil of Effective Schools: Evidence from New York City," by Will Dobbie and Roland G. Fryer (American Economics Journal, 2013).
  • "Financial Incentives and Student Achievement: Evidence From Randomized Trials," by Roland G. Fryer (The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2011).
  • "Toward a Unified Theory of Black America," by Stephen J. Dubner (The New York Times, 2005).
  • Equal Opportunity Ventures.
  • Intus Care.
  • Reconstruction.
  • Sigma Squared.

• EXTRAS:
  • "Did the N.F.L. Solve Diversity Hiring?" series by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "The True Story of the Gender Pay Gap," by Freakonomics Radio (2016).
  • "Does “Early Education” Come Way Too Late?" by Freakonomics Radio (2015).

What happened when the Rooney Rule made its way from pro football to corporate America? Some progress, some backsliding, and a lot of controversy. (Second in a two-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Tynesia Boyea-Robinson, president and C.E.O. of CapEQ.
  • N. Jeremi Duru, professor of law at American University.
  • Herm Edwards, former N.F.L. player and head coach.
  • Christopher Rider, professor of entrepreneurial studies at the University of Michigan.
  • Jim Rooney, author and co-partner of Rooney Consulting.
  • Scott Shephard, general counsel at the National Center for Public Policy Research.

• RESOURCES:
  • The Social Impact Advantage: Win Customers and Talent By Harnessing Your Business For Good, by Tynesia Boyea-Robinson (2022).
  • A Different Way to Win: Dan Rooney’s Story from the Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule, by Jim Rooney (2019).
  • "If There’s Only One Woman in Your Candidate Pool, There’s Statistically No Chance She’ll Be Hired," by Stefanie K. Johnson, David R. Hekman and Elsa T. Chan (Harvard Business Review, 2016).
  • "Racial Disparity in Leadership: Performance-Reward Bias in Promotions of National Football League Coaches," by Christopher I. Rider, James Wade, Anand Swaminathan, and Andreas Schwab (SSRN, 2016).
  • Advancing the Ball: Race, Reformation, and the Quest for Equal Coaching Opportunity in the NFL, by N. Jeremi Duru (2010).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Did the N.F.L. Solve Diversity Hiring? (Part 1)," by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • “When Is a Superstar Just Another Employee?” by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • “How Much Does Discrimination Hurt the Economy? (Replay),” by Freakonomics Radio (2023).