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May 18, 2018

Income inequality doesn’t affect living standards

When historians and economists look back at our era (starting around the time of the “Great Recession” in 2007) they’ll be hard-pressed to understand why so much of the policy debates centered around an issue of relatively minor importance that has existed since the beginning of humanity: income equality. Continue Reading...
May 17, 2018

How the Vatican misunderstands finance

Earlier today, the Vatican released Oeconomicae et pecuniariae quaestiones, a statement on “ethical discernment regarding some aspects of the present economic-financial system.” The document outlines sound general principles, says Acton research director Samuel Gregg, but also reflects the Church’s present struggle to comprehend modern finance: Over the past decade, various Vatican offices have produced several documents addressing the vexed topic of finance and banking. Continue Reading...
May 17, 2018

Socialism is fueling assaults on churches: Report

Violations of religious liberty, including physical assaults against church buildings, increased in 2017, according to a report from a watchdog based in Spain. Socialists perpetrated many of these attacks – which ranged from vandalism to attempted fire-bombings with Molotov cocktails – to protest both the Roman Catholic Church’s stance on social issues and its impact on economics. Continue Reading...
May 16, 2018

Radio Free Acton: Tech & Work on Israeli innovation; Upstream on HBO’s ‘Fahrenheit 451’

On this episode of Radio Free Acton, Dan Churchwell, associate director of program outreach at Acton, speaks with Eugene Kandel, CEO of Start-Up Nation Central, on Israeli innovation. Then, on the Upstream segment, Bruce Edward Walker speaks with Phil Nichols, senior advisor at the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies, on the new “Fahrenheit 451” movie from HBO, which releases May 19. Continue Reading...
May 16, 2018

Karl Marx: Father of Catholic social teaching?

First, the chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences said, “Right now, those who are best implementing the social doctrine of the Church are the Chinese.” Now, Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Germany has credited Karl Marx with helping craft Catholic social teaching. Continue Reading...
May 16, 2018

How property rights originated from Christian theology

Property rights originated from Christian theology, and have proven themselves empirically over the past couple hundred years, says economist Eric Falkenstein. “The liberal ideas that gave rise to the Enlightenment are generally thought (eg, Steven Pinker) to be a break from a religious thinking,” adds Falkenstein. Continue Reading...