Social capital refers to a certain set of informal values and skills shared among members of a group that permit cooperation regardless of socioeconomic characteristics. It is the learned ability of individuals to engage socially and work within organizations to mon objectives. In economics, the term “fixed capital” refers to a stock of equipment, and investment and depreciation are flows adding to or decreasing the existing stock. The stock of social capital at any point in time is fixed but...

As church attendance and religious affiliation continue to decline across the West, many have lamented the spiritual and social side effects, including a weakening of civil society and the fragmentation munity life. What is less discussed, however, is the economic impact of such a shift. In a new report, The Hidden Economy: How Faith Helps Fuel Canada’s GDP, researchers Brian and Melissa Grimm explore this very thing, offering an estimate of the socioeconomic value of faith and religion to broader...

Advent is a time of both patience and anticipation for Christmas. As a result, these seasons make an ideal season for entrepreneurs to reflect spiritually. Advent is also a time for thinking about our responsibilities as Christians between the first Advent in the incarnation and the second Advent in the Parousia – in other words, how we my responsibly use our freedoms and liberties. Joy to the World! The Lord e Let earth receive her King! Let every heart prepare...

While researching another article, I was taken aback to read a political organization refer to its platform as a “new covenant.” The feeling of unease deepened with each plank of its revolutionary and highly divisive program to remake society de novo (about which, more later). Such mislabeling, while far from a first in politics, does a disservice to “the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations” – immanentizing the eschaton, in the immortal phrase of William F....

In what has been a very trying year of pandemic, unrest, and contentious politics we found ourselves again wrapped up in books, for “[b]ooks, both in their reading and their writing represent not just knowledge but a way of knowing, they are how we e wise.” As Christmas approaches, some members of the Acton Institute’s staff are closing out 2020 by mending the best books they have read this year: Jordan Ballor The Old House of Fear by Russell Kirk:...

As states like California continue imposing harsh COVID-19 lockdowns on their citizens, government officials gain even more power to decide which businesses get to survive. Unsurprisingly, politicians have given powerful interests preferential treatment. One of the most blatant cases occurred in Los Angeles, where a restaurant owner’s tearful condemnation of the city’s uneven policies reveals what happens when government starts deciding whose livelihood takes priority. As Angela Marsden describes in her now-viral video, a newly imposed ban on outdoor dining...

For many, Brussels sprouts are symbolic of not-so-popular childhood cuisine, remembered mostly for their bitter taste and ominous odor. More recently, however, they’ve had a revival of sorts, ing a treasured item in the kitchens of professional restaurateurs and home chefs alike. While the renaissance may at first seem like a passing fad driven by the whims of modern palettes, it began in the 1990s with the innovative efforts of a Dutch scientist. Marked by decades of incremental improvements and...

J.D. Vance goes from washing and reusing plastic forks at home to posh dinners with seven utensils per setting. The new Netflix film adaptation of his memoir catches the details of knives and forks but misses the “meat” of Vance’s story. Though they have the same title and many of the same plot points, the book and film have different messages. While the book is primarily about the choice to change, the film centers around the choice to leave. This...

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump rendered a tremendous service to the advancement of global religious liberty: He reminded people of the legacy of Thomas Becket, and he named the sainted martyr’s modern-day successors-in-the-spirit. The same battle for dominance between the flesh and the spirit still rages eight centuries later, merely changing venue from England to China. In a beautifully written document on the 850th anniversary of Becket’s murder, President Trump recounted the life and ministry of the archbishop of Canterbury....

On Sunday, December 25, 2011, at 10:55 a.m., I received an email from Walter Williams. I couldn’t believe it. The email simply read, “Does this work for you? Good luck.” It was an endorsement of my book on Thomas Sowell. It was one of the best Christmas gifts I have ever received. I was deeply honored to receive an endorsement from “the” Walter Williams, and to be exchanging emails with one of my intellectual heroes was the icing on the...