Rev. Ben Johnson, editor of the Acton Institute Religion & Liberty Transatlantic project, appears on the Stephen Herreid Show on YouTube to talk about his critique of First Things editor Matt Schmitz’s essay which blamed democracy and capitalism for Ireland’s repeal by referendum of its 8th Amendment, which “recognizes the equal right to life of the pregnant woman and the unborn.” Latest news here. Read Johnson’s Acton June 8 blog post: ‘Satanic’ capitalism brought abortion to Ireland: ‘First Things’ editor...

Although bad news travels fast, good news often takes the scenic route. That appears to have been especially true during the Civil War. Although Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation became official on the first day of January 1863, word didn’t arrive in Texas until June 19, 1865. On that day Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed in Galveston with news that the war had ended and that those who were once enslaved were now free. One of Granger’s first...

We continue to hear doomsday prophecies about the future of work, with much of the fear focused on the recent growth of the so-called “gig economy”—a swirling sphere of temporary, flexible, and increasingly independent work. Epitomized by services like Uber and Airbnb, and scattered across a wider variety of independent and web-based work, the expansion of the gig economy has caused many to ponder whether its rise might mean the end of traditional long-term employment and a gloomy future of...

In his latest book, Enlightenment Now, Steven Pinker argues for a renewed dedication to science, reason, and humanism to guide us down the path to progress. Pinker’s philosophy of life has plenty to offer, as well as plenty to leave by the wayside. As Christians, we should stay attentive of what lies beneath (and what doesn’t)—eagerly embracing the God-given gifts of human reason and creativity even as we turn our backs to the idols of rationalism. So how do we...

On this episode of Radio Free Acton, we are pleased to bring you the third edition of RFA Reports. Guest Anne Marie Schieber, an award-winning reporter and former anchor with WOOD TV Grand Rapids, speaks with Rafael Cruz, father of former presidential candidate Ted Cruz, on the involvement of Christians in the civic arena and the separation of church and state. Then, RFA host Caroline Roberts talks with Suzanne Scholte, president of the Defense Forum Foundation, on the historic Trump-Kim...

Seventy years ago this month, a small group of economists and legal scholars helped bring about what’s now widely known asthe “German economic miracle,” writes Acton research director Samuel Gregg.This Great Reform wasn’t a matter of luck, but a rare instance of free market intellectuals’ playing a decisive role in liberating an economy from decades of interventionist and collectivist policies. What makes their achievement even more extraordinary is that their policy prescriptions—a root-and-branch currency reform, the abolition of price-controls, widespread...

Over at Providence today, I say a bit about the Trump administration’s trade policy as well as the President’s rhetoric. Here’s a snip: A sober defense of free trade aspires toward freer and freer exchange, even while it recognizes the necessities of incremental improvements and the messiness of politics. President Trump’s tirades against free trade are instructive here. At some level his pronouncements capture an element that free traders have tended to overlook: there are economic costs of globalization that...

Too often, environmentalists seem to see humans as a cancer mutilating the earth’s natural splendor, but the idea that fewer people is the solution to the earth’s woes ignores the incredible creative capacity inherent in the human mind. On June 12th, the Berkeley City Council unanimously voted to declare a state of “climate emergency.” The resolution, introduced by Council Member Cheryl Davila, calls for California governments to “initiate a just local, state, national, and global climate emergency mobilization to restore...

Last week the Supreme Court struck down a Minnesota law that banned voters from going to the polls while wearing T-shirts, buttons and similar items containing politically charged messages. On the surface the issue may seem to be a trivial matter—at best a minor win for self-expression. But the court ruling was major victory against the double standards of the political left. As I wrote back in March, the case ofMinnesota Voters Alliance v. Manskyconcerned a Minnesota statute that broadly...

Note: This is post #84 in a weekly video series on basic economics. According to previous videos in this series, the Solow model seems to predict that we’ll always end up in a steady state with no economic growth. But, the Solow model still has one variable unaccounted for: ideas. Ideas do one thing really well, says Alex Tabarrok of Marginal Revolution University, they give us more bang for our buck. This means we get more output for the same...