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Who is Emily Oster?
Emily Oster is the Royce Family Professor of Teaching Excellence and Professor of Economics at Brown University where she studies health, behavioral, and development economics. She received her PhD from Harvard University and taught at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
What topics do we cover in this episode?
This interview focuses on two major topics: breastfeeding and the C-section rate, which are best covered in Cribsheet and Expecting Better, respectively.
Breastfeeding
The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months and then continued breastfeeding while introducing food until 12 months of age or older.
Cesarean sections
There are numerous explanations of where the word came from. One apocryphal story is that Julius Caesar was actually born by C-section, which is almost certainly untrue given that his mother survived long after childbirth.
Errata
In the introduction, we accidentally say Academy of Pediatrics at one point when we meant to say American Academy of Pediatrics.
By Mitch Belkin
I am a fourth year medical student at University of Maryland School of Medicine with interests in internal medicine and radiology. Outside of medicine, I am excited about Brazilian Jiujitsu, meditation, and podcasts on financial independence.
Where Do All the Bad Ideas Go?
Ideas are currency. This couldn’t be more true in academia, where it’s the job of researchers to think of questions and, hopefully, find answers. Bapu talks with economists Steve Levitt and Emily Oster about how they come up with ideas for studies, why most never make it off the ground, and what should be done with scrapped projects.
Season 9, Episode 19
Humans have been having kids forever, so why are modern parents so bewildered? The economist Emily Oster marshals the evidence on the most contentious topics — breastfeeding and sleep training, vaccines and screen time — and tells her fellow parents to calm the heck down.
Season 8, Episode 41
Humans have been having kids forever, so why are modern parents so bewildered? The economist Emily Oster marshals the evidence on the most contentious topics — breastfeeding and sleep training, vaccines and screen time — and tells her fellow parents to calm the heck down.
The Data-Driven Guide to Sane Parenting
Humans have been having kids forever, so why are modern parents so bewildered? The economist Emily Oster marshals the evidence on the most contentious topics — breastfeeding and sleep training, vaccines and screen time — and tells her fellow parents to calm the heck down.
Why Do People Keep Having Children? (Replay)
Even a brutal natural disaster doesn’t diminish our appetite for procreating. This surely means we’re heading toward massive overpopulation, right? Probably not.
Why Do People Keep Having Children?
Even a brutal natural disaster doesn’t diminish our appetite for procreating. This surely means we’re heading toward massive overpopulation, right? Probably not.
Should Tipping Be Banned?
The practice of tipping is one of the most irrational, un-economic behaviors we engage in. It’s not in our economic best-interest to tip; essentially we do it because it’s a social norm — a nicety.
