Acton Institute Powerblog Archives

Economic Freedom

May 12, 2017

Free trade propaganda from … Communist China?

In the wake of the last presidential election, the American people appear to be fracturing and shifting on the long-held consensus about the benefits of free trade. Meanwhile, state-owned television in the People’s Republic of China is churning out pro-trade propaganda such as this (HT Pethokoukis): Yet the underlying irony is a bit overstated, I’d suspect. Continue Reading...
May 05, 2017

Pope Francis’s attack on ‘libertarian individualism’ not about libertarians

The following essay appeared Friday, May 5, 2017, at Crux. In a recent message by Pope Francis to the Pontifical Academy of Social Science he outlines some moral concerns about a phenomenon he sees as invading (his term) “high levels of culture and education in both universities and in schools,” namely “libertarian individualism.” On the first day of my philosophy classes, the professor admonished us that if we want to have an intelligent discussion or debate, we must begin by defining our terms. Continue Reading...
April 03, 2017

Why protectionism harms human dignity

From an economic perspective, protectionism is one of the most foolish policies a country can adopt. It not only hurts the nation’s economy, but makes individual households poorer. Why then do so many people who are aware of this reality still support protectionist policies? Continue Reading...
March 23, 2017

Venezuelans find a hero in big business

“Big business” has become a favorite target of public scorn and contempt in the United States, constantly decried for its impersonal forces, cronyist lobbying efforts, and supposed greed. In Venezuela, however, the country’s largest privately owned company has become a leading face of anti-government resistance. Continue Reading...