Home
/
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
/
Video: Robert Doar on poverty in America
Video: Robert Doar on poverty in America
Jan 25, 2026 12:49 AM

In July of this year, Robert Doar officially took the reins as President of the American Enterprise Institute, succeeding friend of Acton Arthur C. Brooks in that role. Yesterday, we were pleased to e Doar to deliver an address on poverty in America as part of the 2019 Acton Lecture Series. Doar reviewed the history of welfare reform during and after the Clinton Administration, discussed what works and what doesn’t when trying to help those in poverty to rise toward prosperity, and shared a bit of his personal story to illuminate how he came to be deeply interested in finding solutions to poverty.

We’re pleased to share the video of Doer’s presentation below.

Comments
Welcome to mreligion comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
When Did The United Nations Become A Theology School?
From the Charter of the United Nations: The Purposes of the United Nations are: To maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which...
‘Defiant’ Portrays Heroism on Every Page
In an age where words like “courage” and “bravery” are often tossed about casually, a new book captures the immense heroism and resolve of 11 American POWs during the war in Vietnam. Alvin Townley closes his new book Defiant with these words, “Together, they overcame more intense hardship over more years than any other group of servicemen and families in American history. We should not forget.” Townley easily makes that case by telling their stories and expanding on previous accounts...
Beyond Humanitarianism: Staying ‘Mission True’ in a Culture of Drift
Peter Greer recently wrote a book about thespiritual danger of doing good, encouraging Christians to deal closely with matters of the heart before putting their hands to work. “Our service is downstream from the Gospel message,” he said in an interview here on the blog. “If we forget this, it’s just a matter of time before we self-destruct.” Just a year later, writing alongside co-author Chris Horst, he’s released another book, Mission Drift—this time focusing on the spiritual risks faced...
Swedish Researcher Says Culture Matters for Innovation
West Michigan is ing a new researcher to the area, and Dr. Stefan Jovinge says that culture matters a great deal for incubating innovation. Jovinge, previously of Lund University in Sweden, is one of the world’s foremost scientists investigating the ability of cardiac cells to repair themselves, and he’s joining the Van Andel Institute and at the Spectrum Health Frederik Meijer Heart & Vascular Institute in Grand Rapids. As Sue Thorns reports, the entrepreneurial culture of West Michigan played a...
We Don’t Have a Poverty Problem, We Have a Dependency Problem
“There is no material poverty in the U.S.,” says the always-provocative Walter E. Williams. “What we have in our nation are dependency and poverty of the spirit, with people making unwise choices and leading pathological lives aided and abetted by the welfare state.” The Census Bureau pegs the poverty rate among blacks at 35 percent and among whites at 13 percent. The illegitimacy rate among blacks is 72 percent, and among whites it’s 30 percent. A statistic that one doesn’t...
Hildegard of Bingen and the Living Light: An Acton Co-Sponsored Event
The Acton Institute is pleased to co-sponsor (with Calvin College, Aquinas College, Diocese of Grand Rapids, and Holy Family Radio) the one-woman production, Hildegard of Bingen and the Living Light. Starring Linn Maxwell, the free event will take place on Sunday, March 23 at 6 p.m. at the Acton Building in Grand Rapids. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) memorated on both the Catholic and Anglican/Episcopal Calendars, and was declared a Doctor of the Catholic Church by Pope Benedict XVI. This one-woman...
What Liberal Evangelicals Should Know About the Economic Views of Conservative Evangelicals (Part 3)
Why do liberal and conservative evangelicals tend to disagree so often about economic issues? This is the third in a series of posts that addresses that question by examining 12 principles that generally drive the thinking of conservative evangelicals when es to economics. The first in the series can be foundhere. Part 2 can be found here.A PDF/text version of the entire series can be foundhere. 7. The best way pensate for structural injustice is to increase order and individual...
What Liberal Evangelicals Should Know About the Economic Views of Conservative Evangelicals (Part 4)
Why do liberal and conservative evangelicals tend to disagree so often about economic issues? This is the fourth in a series of posts that addresses that question by examining 12 principles that generally drive the thinking of conservative evangelicals when es to economics. The first in the series can be foundhere;Part 2 can be foundhere; and Part 3 can be found here.A PDF/text version of the entire series can be foundhere. 9. Social mobility — specifically getting people out of...
Fr. Sirico on ‘How Charity Can Be Selfish’
Forbes contributor Jerry Bowyer recently interviewed Fr. Robert Sirico about PovertyCure and charity. Bower has split his interview into several parts and you can read the previous post here. In this section, their discussion focuses on “Bad Almsgiving:” Jerry: “Charity can be selfish, can’t it?” Fr. Sirico: “Yeah, it can be very self-indulgent.” Jerry: “Let’s say ‘philanthropy’. I mean, genuine charity is a Christian virtue, but the philanthropy industry can be selfishly structured and selfishly supported.” Fr. Sirico: “Well, what...
Science, Faith, and Our Place in The Universe
In Acton’s newly published monograph, Catholicism, Ecology, and the Environment, Bishop Dominique Rey explores the relationship between man and the created world. In the book’s foreword, written by Acton’s Director of Research Sam Gregg, Gregg summarizes the Catholic view of man’s relationship to created matter: Man is understood as intrinsically superior to the natural world. He is charged with dominion over it in order that it may be used to promote integral human development. However, man’s dominion is not absolute....
Related Classification
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.mreligion.com All Rights Reserved