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: #30 —The most effective way pensate for structural injustice is to increase order and individual freedom. The Definitions: Human flourishing – A holistic concern for the spiritual, moral, physical, economic, material, political, psychological, and social context necessary for human beings to live according to...

The Sandinista Revolution (1979 – 1990), which sought to transform Nicaragua into a new Cuba, was well-known for many things, including the way in which it highlighted the new alliance between the Latin American Communist movements and liberation theologians. Among the Sandinista leaders was Father Ernesto Cardenal. He was the perfect prototype of the “guerrilla priest”: a Rosary in his pocket, Marx’s Das Capital in one hand and an AR-15 in the other. In 1983, Nicaragua was also the scene...

Americans tend to see Sweden as a democratic socialist utopia, although the nation changed course decisively two decades ago. A White House report, “The Opportunity Costs of Socialism,” debunked the notion of enduring Nordic socialism, and now PBS has aired a documentary produced by a Swedish free-market leader intended to dispel popular American falsehoods about his home country. Johan Norberg, a Stockholm native and senior fellow at the Cato Institute, produced the program Sweden: Lessons for America to clear the...

Note: This is post #99 in a weekly video series on basic economics. The official unemployment rate in the U.S. only counts adults who are without a job and have actively looked for work within the past four weeks. Does this mean that unemployment is undercounted? In this video by Marginal Revolution University, economist Alex Tabarrok explains that while the official unemployment rate may not be perfect, it does provide us with a good indicator of the state of the...

At Acton’s 28th Annual Dinner, Rev. Robert A. Sirico, co-founder and president of the Acton Institute, spoke about the eternal significance of work. Sirico states that serving God and participating in the market are not separate efforts. Rather, engagement in the market can lead to generosity, service, and the reduction of poverty. Work, too, should be seen as bringing more than just profit to people’s lives. “This mundane existence,” says Sirico, “whereby people earn sufficient resources to support their families,...

Every lightning-fast news cycle highlights the turmoil and tension of our current age. Cultures are clashing both in Europe and in the United States as refugees from the Middle East and Central America seek asylum. Americans are deeply polarized. Political dialogue has e toxic. Sometimes the very foundations of a free and open society are met with deep skepticism in the popular media and throughout the larger culture. In order to address these significant issues, the Acton Institute is hosting...

This is the eighth in a series celebrating the work of Russell Kirk in honor of his 100th birthday this October. Read more from the serieshere. Russell Kirk had a profound influence on the conservative mind and movement—offering a rich pelling vision of ordered liberty and cultural imagination necessary to sustain it. Toward the end of his prolific life and career, Kirk would offer his final public lecture on January 10, 1994, at the Acton Institute in Grand Rapids, MI.The...

The economy is booming. Since the market crash in 2008, the rate of unemployment is at an all-time low, with the latest study showing an unemployment rate of 3.7 percent. In the second quarter of 2018, GDP increased 4.2 percent and in the third quarter, 3.5 percent. While all of these are sure signs that the economy is doing well, some problems remain, and it doesn’t look like they’ll go away any time soon. In a new article written for...

“Austerity ing to an end,” Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond announced as he unveiled a budget laden with significant spending increases before the UK Parliament this afternoon. Here are the facts you need to know: What are the total numbers? The budget includes £842 billion in Total Managed Expenditure (TME) for 2019-2020. Borrowing during the same time will reach £31.8 billion. Government spending will remain at a projected 38 percent of GDP for the next five years. “Over the...

This article is written by León M. Gómez Rivas and translated by Joshua Gregor. It was originally published by RedFloridaBlanca and is republished with permission. Fr. Jaime Balmes It was with great pleasure that I received the invitation to contribute to this memorative series on a great Catalonian—and therefore Spanish—thinker of the 19th century. I have before me the previous entries by Josep Castellà and Alejandro Chafuen (who kindly cites mentary I wrote for the Juan de Mariana Institute, in...