Listen now:

Season 5, Episode 26

This week on Freakonomics Radio: critics — including President Obama — say short-term, high-interest loans are predatory, trapping borrowers in a cycle of debt. But some economists see them as a useful, if expensive, financial instrument for people who might otherwise not have access to cash. As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau promotes new regulation, we ask: who’s right?

To learn more, check out the podcast from which this hour was drawn: “Are Payday Loans Really as Evil as People Say?”

You can subscribe to the Freakonomics Radio podcast at iTunes or elsewhere, or get the RSS feed.