It Turns Out

“It Turns Out” reveals the hidden realities reshaping our world—from how marriage impacts inequality to the way that the tax code has transformed wealth.

Through conversations with experts who challenge conventional wisdom, award-winning journalist Kara Miller focuses each episode on groundbreaking research, changing how listeners see society, economics, technology, and human behavior. “It Turns Out” delves into data that directly impacts your life—whether you know it or not.

You can reach us at info@itturnsoutshow.com

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. This work was done under Grant No. G-2025-79141.

Latest Episodes:

How economic thinking can transform your biggest choices Jan 26, 2026

Show notes

Why do we prioritize larger homes over shorter commutes, even when it costs us our happiness? Redfin's Chief Economist and author Daryl Fairweather joins host Kara Miller to reveal how applying economic research can help you optimize your home, your career, and your relationships.

In this episode of It Turns Out, Fairweather breaks down the complexities of the 2026 housing market, explains how to free yourself from psychological biases like "anchoring,” and explains how Beyoncé - and Destiny’s Child - can help you understand workplace power dynamics.

From her own move out of a high-pressure tech hub, to the surprising data behind the "coin-flip" method for making life-altering choices, Fairweather shares how to challenge the status quo and use data to design a life that aligns with your values.

Fairweather is author of the book Hate the Game: Economic Cheat Codes for Life, Love, and Work

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Americans have long moved South. Get ready for the move North. Jan 09, 2026

Show notes

For decades, Americans have gravitated to the southern US - from Florida to Arizona. But that may be about to change.

This change will also shuffle our finances - and create enormous winners and losers.

In this eye-opening interview, ProPublica’s Abrahm Lustgarten, author of On the Move, exposes the "Great American Climate Scam" that is artificially propping up real estate values in high-risk zones like Florida and California. And he talks about how a collapse in one market could become a contagion that spreads across the country.

We break down the looming insurance crisis that threatens to bankrupt entire states, why millions of Americans may soon be forced to migrate to northern "climate havens" like Cincinnati and Buffalo, and how extreme heat is widening the economic gap between the rich and the poor.

If you want to understand the future of property values, the hidden financial risks of climate change, and who will be the winners and losers of the next great migration, don't miss this deep dive into the shifting US economy.

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Is healthcare eating the economy? Dec 20, 2025

Show notes

Is healthcare eating the US economy? Affordable Care Act architect Jon Gruber explains why healthcare became the issue that keeps employees - and employers - up at night. And how it came to paralyze the government. Why does an MRI cost $1,500 in the US but only a fraction of that in Japan? Why is the idea of "competition" a talking point, not a solution? Gruber also explains why Democrats moved to the right on healthcare, only to see Republicans move further to the right. Plus, hear Gruber’s "magic wand" solution for fixing the broken American system.

Gruber co-edited the book Long-Term Care around the World from The University of Chicago Press.

Did you know you can also watch the show? Subscribe to the show on YouTube!

Is this how AI mania ends? Dec 12, 2025

Show notes

For the last three years, we've been making an enormous bet on AI. It's woven into our investments, our pension funds, even the stability of our economy. But, the bet hasn't paid off yet - and many aren't sure it ever will.

AI expert Gary Marcus - who’s been excited about the technology for a long time - explains why society's all-in wager on large language models could be far riskier than we realize.

Marcus is author of the book Taming Silicon Valley from MIT Press.

MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group recently took a close look at how companies are using agentic AI - one of the most discussed topics in AI right now. Check it out here: sloanreview.mit.edu/ai2025

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Higher ed is in trouble. But not for the reason you think. Dec 04, 2025

Show notes

What if we've spent the last year having the wrong debate about higher education? Former college president Brian Rosenberg explains why higher ed has become so resistant to change.

Should professors teach the way they do? Does having a major actually make any sense? Should colleges only meet - as they often do - eight months a year? And how will the Trump Administration's attack on higher ed shape the future?

Rosenberg is author of the book Whatever It Is, I'm Against It from the Harvard Education Press.

For a big-picture look on how higher ed is funded, please check out this overview from our friends at The Journalist's Resource at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Did you know you can also watch the show? Subscribe to the show on YouTube!

How the rich escaped taxation Nov 20, 2025

Show notes

Over the last 40 years, many of the wealthiest Americans have effectively seceded from taxation.

While regular Americans - from surgeons to bus drivers - pay large chunks (sometimes half!) of their income in taxes, lots of those with billions of dollars pay a teeny, tiny sliver of their wealth in taxes each year. And their heirs can inherit billions of dollars tax free.

How have we let this happen? And why don't most people know about it? Boston College scholar Ray Madoff - author of The Second Estate - talks about what the heck is going on.

Did you know you can also watch the show? Subscribe to the show on YouTube!

How marriage became a luxury good Nov 13, 2025

Show notes

Why do affluent suburbs in Boston and Houston vote completely differently, yet share one surprising thing in common? Economist Melissa Kearney, author of The Two-Parent Privilege, reveals that one of America's most consequential divides isn't about red states versus blue states. It's about whether you're raising kids with a partner, and the economic advantages are stark and surprising.

Did you know you can also watch the show? Subscribe to the show on YouTube!

Coming Soon: It Turns Out Oct 30, 2025

Show notes

"It Turns Out" reveals the hidden realities reshaping our world—from how marriage impacts inequality to the way that the tax code has transformed wealth. Through conversations with experts who challenge conventional wisdom, award-winning journalist Kara Miller focuses each episode on groundbreaking research, changing how listeners see society, economics, technology, and human behavior. “It Turns Out” delves into data that directly impacts your life—whether you know it or not.

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