“As thousands of African migrants land on the golden beaches of Spain, old Europe shows the signs of fatigue,” says MihailNeamtu in this week’s Acton Commentary. “In August, most of its politicians are on holiday. Every summer, for nearly six weeks, Brussels officials cannot be bothered to ponder the future of the European Union.” In the meantime, in Mediterranean countries, the youth seem to be haunted by the same pressing question: “Will I get a proper job?” In Greece, unemployment...

Germany’s development minister made a startling proposal to the EU this week. There is a simple way to help Africa flourish and reduce the number of migrants seeking greener pastures in Europe: “Open the market for all African goods.” The proposal not only stymies EU officials, who preside over arch-protectionist agricultural regulations, but may solve the continent’s most vexing problem: illegal migration. German Development Minister Gerd Müller proposed a free trade policy – especially for agriculture – in an interview...

Thedoom delusions of central planners and population “experts” are well documented and thoroughly exposed, ranging fromthe early pessimism of Rev. Thomas Robert Malthustothe more recentpredictions of Paul Ehrlich. Population growth is something we needn’t fear, and regardless, it’s likely to begin its reverse within the near future, as increasing global prosperity continues to correspond with decreasing global birthrates (this inspires fears of its own). Given that striking reality, the doomsday soothsayers have shifted their arguments accordingly, warning instead of a...

Imagine you receive an email from the Secretary of Education saying that you’ve been randomly selected for a test pilot program. In an attempt to democratize the educational system, 20 citizens have been selected to develop a curriculum that will be added as a graduation requirement for every high school student in America. The only limitation is that the curriculum must pertain to a subject that is already covered in high school, must not be tied to religion or theology,...

With the financial crisis nearly a decade behind us, and with the latest figures showing4.1 percent economic growth, the economic woes of yesteryear feel increasingly distant in our past. Even still, it’s hard to avoid the sense that something remains amiss—that beneath the material successes and encouraging metrics about unemployment rates and Gross Domestic Product, our society continues to lack the moral fabric necessary for sustained and holistic economic flourishing. In his book, Crisis of Responsibility, investment advisor David Bahnsen...

On this episode of Radio Free Acton, Victoria Antram, summer intern at Acton, speaks with Luke Burgis, a businessman who was named a top 25 under 25 entrepreneur by Business Week, about the myths and misconceptions about entrepreneurship. Then, on the Upstream segment, Bruce Edward Walker talks to J. Bradley Studemeyer about government funded art in anticipation of the ing book, Art from the Swamp. Check out these additional resources on this week’s podcast topics: Learn more about Luke Burgis...

Socialism claims that its collectivist economic plans “put people first.” But even the philosophy behind socialism dehumanizes everyone involved – according to one of the foremost socialist leaders. Marxism is rooted in the concept of dialectical materialism, the pseudo-scientific assertion that the endless churning of class conflict between the rich (bourgeoisie) and the poor (proletariat) eventually produces a worker’s paradise. But to see “poverty as a force in a historic [dialectic], is not only the dehumanization of the poor, it...

France remains so deeply wedded to secularism (laïcité) that its courts ruled a statue of Pope John Paul II can only remain in place if its cross is removed. Beyond a mere clash of church-and-state, “this case is symptomatic of the identity crisis suffered by France and Western Europe in general,” writes Priscille Kulczyk,a research fellow for theEuropean Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ), at the Acton Institute’s Religion & Liberty Transatlantic website. “They reject their Christian roots, culture, and...

A new study by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John Templeton Foundation reports on the extent to which governments and societies around the world impinge on religious beliefs and practices. Here are seven figures you should know from the study about trends in religious hostilities: 1. Of the 198 countries included in the study—covering 99.5 percent of the world’s population—28 percent had high or very high levels of government restrictions in 2016 (the most recent year for which data...

Alejandro Chafuen – the Acton Institute’s Managing Director, International – received the prestigious 2018 “Premio Juan de Mariana”award from the Intituto Juan de Mariana earlier this year. Today at Acton’s Religion & Liberty Transatlantic website, we have posted the full text of his acceptance speech. Chafuen holds special affection for Juan de Mariana, the Jesuit priest and thinker associated with the School of Salamanca. In his remarks, Chafuen summarized the theologian’s economic and political thought, saying: He states that God...