According to a recent study by the Rand Corporation, “more than 2 million adults are incarcerated in U.S. prisons,” with roughly 700,000 leaving federal and state prisons each year. Of those released, “40 percent will be reincarcerated.” It’s a staggering statistic—one that ought to stir us toward greater reflection on how we might better support, empower, and equip prisoners in connecting with social and economic life. How might we reform our criminal justice system to better help and support these...

In the U.S., Labor Day weekend celebrates the work ethic that made this nation the most prosperous in human history, and federalism is enshrined in our constitution. But Switzerland – so often overlooked by the West – may have much to teach us about how to honor and embrace the profound influence of the Protestant work ethic and Catholic subsidiarity. At Acton’s Religion & Liberty Transatlantic website, political scientist Mark R. Royce discusses how aspects of Switzerland’s little-discussed political system...

It is extremely concerning and offensive to find Walmart and other retailers promoting what they call “cool shirts“ — bright red tees emblazoned with the Soviet hammer and sickle, says Mari-Ann Kelam in this week’s Acton Commentary. “Making light of the mitted under and in the name munism shows ignorance and callousness.” As an Estonian-American living in Europe, I am embarrassed and pained. It is impossible to explain such flippancy to people here, many of whom suffered munism. People are...

After a decades-long career in film, theater, and education, actor Geoffrey Owens decided to take a part-time job as a cashier at Trader Joe’s. When customers and news outlets began posting photos of the actor bagging groceries, the ments included a mix of mockery and what Owens describes as “job-shaming.”Fortunately, according to Owens, “the shame part didn’t last very long.” “It hurt…I was really devastated,” Owens explained on Good Morning America, “but the period of devastation was so short.” Owens...

Walker Percy wrote novels that explored the “dislocation of man in the modern age” and that were “delivered with a poetic Southern sensibility and informed by the author’s deep Catholic faith.” To celebrate the novelist’s life and work, the people of St. Francisville, Louisiana host an annual Walker Percy Weekend. Caroline Roberts, a writer and producer of the Radio Free Acton podcast, attended this year’s event and wrote about the experience for the latest edition of Acton Longform, our new...

On this episode of Radio Free Acton, John Couretas, Executive Producer of Radio Free Acton, interviews Mark Mills, Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, on his new book “Work in the Age of Robots,” about what our jobs and the future of AI might look like. Then, on the Upstream segment, Bruce Edward Walker talks to Jay Nordlinger, Senior Editor of National Review, about Classical music: are people still listening to it nowadays and why is it important? Check out...

Judge Brett Kavanaugh made a second appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee today for his Supreme Court confirmation hearing. During questioning,Kavanaugh was asked about a controversial, but little-known, legal doctrine called “Chevrondeference.” Here’s what you should know about Kavanaugh’s position andwhy you should care about Chevron deference. What is the Chevron the Senate is referring to? The pany? Yes, though indirectly. Chevron, the corporation, was the plaintiff in the landmark Supreme Court case Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense...

“This is what I have observed to be good,” the Preacher says, “that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot” (Ecclesiastes 5:18[NIV]). “Toilsome labor” is work that is incessant, extremely hard, or exhausting. That doesn’t sound all that appealing, does it? So why does the Preacher say such labor isgood? Because, he...

In America, we have a problem with religious labels: they no longer fit. As a devout evangelical, I always cringe when I hear the label used—mostly for political purposes—to include a range of heretics, political grifters, and nominal Christians who haven’t been to church in decades. But I also tire of hearing the term “nones” used as a synonym for atheists. The reality is that most people in Western Europe consider themselves to be “Christians,” they are less religious than...

Note: This is post #92 in a weekly video series on basic economics. What caused the Great Recession of 2008? In this video by Marginal Revolution University, economist Tyler Cowen discusses a couple of key reasons, including homeowners’ leverage, securitization, and the role of excess confidence and incentives. He then considers what could have been done to prevent the worst financial crisis of our young century. (If you find the pace of the videos too slow, I’d mend watching them...