In all the articles about last week’s 50th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Prague, few took note of one of its enduring scars: widespread and ubiquitous atheism. Some may be surprised to learn that the Czech people are the most irreligious people in Europe, not just because of decades of government-sponsored atheism, but because of centuries of government-enforced religion. When Communist officials first came to power in Czechoslovakia in 1948, undermining and eradicating religion became a top priority. The...

‘Lord Acton’ Public Domain Corey Robin, professor of political science at Brooklyn College and the City University of New York Graduate Center, wrote an interesting and troubling piece last week in the New York Times titled, “The New Socialists: Why the pitch from Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders resonates in 2018.” It is part chronicle of the recent rise of self-identified socialist politicians in the United States and part meditation on what people in 2018 mean when they talk about socialism....

Note: This is post #91 in a weekly video series on basic economics. Financial intermediaries serve as a bridge between borrowers and savers. When those bridges collapse the effects can be disastrous: businesses go bankrupt, workers get laid off, and people lose their homes. These negative effects show you how crucial intermediaries are to our lives. What exactly causes financial intermediaries to fail? In this video by Marginal Revolution University, economist Tyler Cowen looks at four reasons: insecure property rights,...

On this episode of Radio Free Acton, host Caroline Roberts speaks with Jonathan Porta, co-founder of merce platform UTZ Market in Guatemala, on his experiences in developing his business and on entrepreneurship in Guatemala. Then on the Upstream segment, Bruce Edward Walker talks to David Marcus, New York correspondent for The Federalist on the future of the arts. Check out these additional resources on this week’s podcast topics: Check out Utz Market Learn more about sustainable development and effective poverty...

Too often, advocating for economically sound policies is dismissed as extraneous to the life of a Christian. Faith leaders may see improving the lot of those living in this world as worthwhile but, fundamentally, outside the Christian’s mission. But if they understood the difference these policies make for “the least of these,” they may reconsider. It may be a cliche to say that those in the West take for granted the kind of daily pleasures and amenities denied much of...

In confronting the problem of global hunger, Western activists, planners, and foreign aid “experts” are prone to look only toward various forms of economic redistribution. Even among nonprofits, churches, and missions organizations, we see an overly narrow focus on temporary needs and material donations with little attention to individual empowerment and institutional reforms. Meanwhile, global poverty and hunger are on the decline—a development driven not by top-level tweaks and materialistic trickery, but by a bottom-up revolution of freedom, innovation, and...

In the United States, there is a constant background critique of education. Complaints include the following: Teachers are too liberal. Professors are too abstract. Schools don’t do a good job of preparing students for work. Education costs too much, both for governments and the parents and students paying tuition. Yet despite all the dissatisfaction, we value education highly. When we are honest with ourselves, we recognize that an educated public brings with it all kinds of benefits. It is tremendously...

I recently read the first Harry Potter novel to my six-year-old son Brendan, then watched the film with him. It was all the fun I hoped it would be: he is just the right age for it — excitedly asking what is going to happen next and jumping and cheering at the end. As typically happens, I can’t stop at just the first one, so I’ve been watching the rest of the films with my wife Kelly. (I may read...

“Sen. John McCain, who passed away on Saturday, is undeniably the most famous prisoner of war held captive and tortured by the North Vietnamese,” says Ray Nothstine in this week’s Acton Commentary. “McCain was one of 591 Americans returned by North Vietnam over several months during ‘Operation ing’ in 1973. But in our current politicized era, McCain’s fame somewhat overshadows the leadership and lessons of many other great Americans tortured by their Marxist captors.” McCain often praised fellow prisoners as...

Note:This article is part of the ‘Principles Project,’ a list of principles, axioms, and beliefs that undergirda Christian view of economics, liberty, and virtue. Clickhereto read the introduction and other posts in this series. The Principle: #9B – Wealth is created when human beings creatively transform matter into resources. Because human beings can create wealth, economic exchange need not be a zero-sum game. (NB: This is a subset of the Acton Core Principle of Creation of Wealth) The Definitions: This...