January 2017 Archives

January 31, 2017

Report: Populism and autocracy undermining U.S. and global freedom

Earlier today Freedom House released the 2017 edition of their flagship report, “Freedom in the World.” It was not positive. Titled “Populists and Autocrats: The Dual Threat to Global Democracy,” it shows much erosion in various freedoms throughout the world. Continue Reading...

January 31, 2017

Ending human trafficking through education and awareness

Today is the last day of National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. But ending human trafficking through education and awareness is a year-round task. As the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work notes, we need more public education around the practice of human trafficking in order to help aid the more than 20 million victims who live as modern-day slaves. Continue Reading...

January 31, 2017

Is economic speculation immoral?

Note: This is post #19 in a weekly video series on basic microeconomics. Speculation is often considered to be morally dubious. But, can speculation actually be useful to the market process? Continue Reading...

January 30, 2017

When Victoria Coates, Trump’s new NSC appointee, addressed the Acton Institute

Together with his appointment of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education, yet another Trump administration official has ties to the Acton Institute. The Washington Free Beacon reported today that President Trump has appointed Victoria C. Continue Reading...

January 30, 2017

Explainer: President Trump’s executive order on reducing regulations and regulatory cost

What just happened? Today, President Trump signed an executive order titled, “Reducing Regulation And Controlling Regulatory Costs.” The stated purpose of the executive order is “to manage the costs associated with the governmental imposition of private expenditures required to comply with Federal regulations.” Continue Reading...

January 30, 2017

Explainer: What you should know about executive orders

During his first week in office, President Trump has signed a number of executive orders, affecting a range of policies from trade to health care to immigration. Here is what you should know about executive orders: What is an executive order? Continue Reading...

January 27, 2017

Acton Institute makes strong showing in annual think tank rankings

On January 26, the University of Pennsylvania’s Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) released its 10th Annual Think Tank Report. This list ranks thousands of think tanks worldwide and ranks them in dozens of different categories. Continue Reading...

January 27, 2017

A businessman who builds low-cost private schools for the masses

Many people complain about the poor quality of America’s public schools. But Bob Luddy did something about it. Tired of trying to convince North Carolina bureaucrats to improve the state’s public schools, Luddy built his own network of low-cost private schools that the government can’t meddle with. Continue Reading...

January 26, 2017

‘Disturbing ideas’ of the Progressive Movement

In a new article at the Public Discourse, Acton’s director of research Samuel Gregg, reviews Thomas C. Leonard’s new book, Illiberal Reformers: Race, Eugenics, & American Economics in the Progressive Era. Continue Reading...

January 26, 2017

Should the government cap CEOs’ salaries?

Ideas have consequences, but they do not have geographical boundaries. The latest example of this truth is UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn’s proposal that the government impose a maximum annual salary on British residents – an “earnings cap” on how much anyone could earn in any given year. Continue Reading...