So you want to help people? That’s great — but beware the law of unintended consequences. Three stories from the modern workplace.
Hey there, it's Steven Dubner.
Before we get to today's episode, I want to ask for your help for a special series we are just starting to make.
It is about mentorship, and this is where you come in.
We are looking for some good stories.
It could be about a mentorship in business or academia or in sports.
It could be a spiritual mentor or someone who helped you become a better parent or spouse.
Or maybe you are the mentor, or maybe you have a mentor who doesn't even know they are your mentor.
No relationship is too small or too weird.
If it matters to you, send us an email with some of the particulars we are@radioreakonomics.com we look forward to reading your stories and interviewing some of you for this series.
Thanks in advance.
And now today's episode.
Here's a phrase you have probably heard.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
The sentiment goes back at least to the Bible, but the way it's used today likely began with the 18th century writer Samuel Johnson.
Since then, versions of the phrase have appeared in the works of Charlotte Bronte and Lord Byron, Soren Kierkegaard and Karl Marx, Ozzy Osborn and Madonna.
Good intentions?
Yeah, yeah.
But how would an economist think about it?
I would say economics is fundamentally about trade offs, and there are always trade offs.
Today on free economics radio, three stories about good intentions gone bad in the workplace.