Acton Institute Powerblog

Promoting free societies characterized by liberty & religious principles

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March 07, 2016

Just how bad is crony capitalism?

Cronyism is ugly. It hurts the economy, it’s unjust, and corrupts the core of democracy.  “The damage that cronyism has inflicted on the economy is considerable,” Samuel Gregg writes in a new piece for Public Discourse. Continue Reading...
April 02, 2015

Why Cheap Food Makes Us Richer

While it may not seem like it when you’re standing at the checkout line at the grocery store, food is cheaper now that it was half a century ago. “We are purchasing more food for less money, and we are purchasing our food for less of our income,” says Annette Clauson, an agricultural economist. Continue Reading...
August 12, 2014

A Christian Alternative to Unicorn Governance

The centuries-long debate between conservatives and progressives about governance, argues Michael Munger, is essentially a disagreement about a simple concept: whether the State is a unicorn. Unicorns, of course, are fabulous horse-like creatures with a large spiraling horn on their forehead. Continue Reading...
August 29, 2013

A Commodities Primer for Confused Clerics

Earlier this month, the Chicago Tribune ran a story by Cezary Podkul on concerns raised by the Missionary Oblates Catholic community regarding commodities trading. Titled “For Nuns and Analysts Alike, Bank Commodity Earnings Are a Mystery,” the story focuses on Rev. Continue Reading...
July 05, 2012

U.S. sugar policy invites bad jokes

Because there’s nothing sweet about it. As the 2012 Farm Bill moves through Capitol Hill, the policy debates are ramping up. The bill, projected to seriously cut the deficit, has garnered bipartisan support thus far, but will likely meet more resistance in the House. Continue Reading...
May 16, 2012

Free Market Environmentalism for Religious Leaders

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcuZYn6BLyI Our friends at the Foundation for Research on Economics & the Environment (FREE) in Bozeman, Mont., have put together another strong slate of summer programs for clergy, seminary professors and other religious leaders with the aim of deepening their understanding of environmental policy. Continue Reading...
August 22, 2011

Progressive Boot Firmly Planted on Ranchers’ Throats

More than a billion dollars has already been pledged to relieve victims of the drought-turned-famine ravaging the Horn of Africa. The stricken countries—Somalia in particular—do not have the technology and the infrastructure to deal with a major drought, and so in what is becoming a regular occurrence, the West is stepping in with aid. Continue Reading...