On November 29 the Acton Institute filled the Pontifical Gregorian University’s aula magna to maximum capacity with at least 380 participants, a record attendance during Acton’s 17 years of academic programming in Rome. The international mix of students, professors, diplomats, journalists and lay professionals representing all continents came in droves for the afternoon conferenceGlobalization, Justice, and the Economy: The Jesuit Contribution which was co-sponsored by Acton and the Gregorian’s Faculty of History and Cultural Heritage of the Church. The discussion,...

With the emergence of the faith-work movement, we’ve seen great strides in helping Christians connect their daily work with their spiritual calling, leading many to shift their attitudes and actions when es to economic stewardship. But as we rightly relish in our renewed understanding of the spiritual value of work and vocation, do we recognize the spiritual warfare that it actually involves? It’s one thing to say “God cares about our work.” It’s another to believe that He wields it...

In the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries, Catholic theologians, many of whom were members of the Society of Jesus, studied the intersection of morality and merce. Jesuits includingJuan de Mariana, Luis de Molina, and Leonardus Lessius explored the ethics of money, economics, and trade.In his famousHistory of Economic Analysis, the distinguished economist and historian of economic ideas, Joseph Schumpeter, described many of these Jesuits’ insights as anticipating similar ideas expressed by Adam Smith two centuries later. The Jesuits contributed greatly...

In 1905, Abraham Kuyper, the Dutch statesman and theologian, set forth on a journey around the Mediterranean Sea, visiting 80 sites and cities in 20 countries. His travels brought him to ancient lands and some of the most revered sites of Christianity. They also brought him face-to-face, for the first time, with the Islamic world. When he returned, he wrote a series of reflections on his travels, now captured in a newly translated volume, On Islam, which includes select writings...

If inalienable rights are, as many people seem to believe, rights which the government cannot take away, does it follow that government can then take away rights that are alienable? As James Rogers explains, it is no less wrong for the government to take away an “alienable” right than it is for the government to take away an “inalienable” right. The difference between the two isn’t that one can be taken away while the other cannot but that an inalienable...

On this episode of Radio Free Acton, Sarah Stanley, Managing Editor at the Acton Institute, speaks with Mac Tristan, Chief of Police in Coppell, Texas, on the topic of servant leadership: what is it, how has Mac found it helpful in his line of work, and why it is valuable for leaders in business too. Then, on the Upstream segment, Bruce Edward Walker talks with Jessica Hooten Wilson, Professor of English at John Brown University, on the work of prolific...

Note: This is post #59 in a weekly video series on basic microeconomics. Do unions raise wages for workers as a whole? If not, can unions raise the wages of some workers? The answer, says economist Alex Tabarrok, is . . . it depends. Unions have the ability to restrict the supply of labor to a job, which can increase wages for some workers. However, unions can also lower wages. For example, work stoppages and strikes supported by unions can...

One of the most beloved figures of Christian history – St. Nicholas, the basis for the legend of Santa Claus – memorated around the world on December 6. An historical happenstance shows that his life still holds lessons for the piety and economics of the transatlantic sphere. St. Nicholas, the archbishop of Myra in Asia Minor during the fourth century, is remembered for one example of his generous love of the poor. He learned that a wealthy man in his...

History’s worst tyrannies began as attempts to create utopia. This longing to inaugurate the heavenly kingdom on earth – to “immanentize the eschaton,” in William F. Buckley Jr.’s memorable phrase – empowers politicians who promise peace and prosperity in exchange for power. The Brexit vote shattered one such imitation kingdom, according to Stephen F. Copp in an insightful and scholarly new essay for the Religion & Liberty Transatlantic website. “Brexit has profound implications for those who care about religion and...

Alejandro A. “Alex” Chafuen, longtime president of Washington-based Atlas Network, is joining the Acton Institute on January 1 as its Managing Director, International. “As one of our founding board members and earliest supporters, Alex has been an important part of the Acton Institute’s work and mission since day one,” said Acton Institute Executive Director Kris Mauren. “Twenty-seven years later, we are truly honored to bring his invaluable experience and wisdom in the think tank industry to lead our global growth.”...