On July 17, 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued a proclamation declaring the third week of July “Captive Nations Week” for that year and every year “until such time as freedom and independence shall have been achieved for all the captive nations of the world.” At the time, Eisenhower was condemning the unjust and oppressive Soviet regime and lending a voice to those countries trapped under Soviet rule. The threat of the Soviet Union no longer exists today. Still, we...

“Both economic and religious freedom tend to exist together in the same societies,” says Jay Richards in this week’s Acton Commentary, “they are both based on the same principles; they tend to reinforce each other; and over the long haul, they arguably stand or fall together.” By economic freedom, I refer to the social condition in which individuals, families, and associations enjoy the rule of law, respect for their rights, limited government, a vibrant civil society outside the jurisdiction of...

In a new piece written for Public Discourse, Samuel Gregg revisits crucial points made by Adam Smith in his classic “Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations,” in which Smith argues for an embrace of international trade. Unfortunately, many of Smith’s ideas have today been cast aside for stronger cries for economic nationalism. bats some misconceptions of free, global trade by revealing the dangerous results which would occur if nations chose to only implement ‘neo-mercantilism’ in...

From Monday July 18 through Thursday July 21, the Republican Party will be holding their national convention in Cleveland, Ohio. Then, from July 25 to 28, the Democratic Party will hold their convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Here are five things you should know about these events: 1. The political party conventions are held every four years as the culminating event of the presidential primary season. For America’s two main political parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, the convention...

Vox recently published an article claiming that Charles Koch is right and Bernie Sanders is wrong about how the economy is rigged. Both agree that there are laws that unfairly favor some financially over others. Sanders often claimed during his campaign that the rich have used their money to lobby for laws that favor their interests over those of everyone else. Meanwhile, Charles Koch has condemned excessive regulation and restrictions on economic freedom that allow the few to bend laws...

As church attendance continues to decline across the West, many have lamented the spiritual and social side effects, namely a weakening of civil society and the fabric munity life. What’s less discussed, however, is the economic impact of such a decline. In a new study published by Cardus, Dr. Michael Wood Daly of the University of Toronto explores this very thing, researching the “economic value” of ten Toronto congregations, and finding “a cumulative estimated economic impact of approximately $45 million,”...

U.S. manufacturing is making eback, says Mark Perry economist at AEI. Because of innovative fracking technologies that have made shale gas abundant and cheap, manufacturing jobs are quickly returning to the United States, as the cost advantage of producing overseas disappears. Perry estimates that the revival of manufacturing production in the United States has the potential to create 3 million jobs in the next decade: The impact of the shale revolution is profound because the economic growth it continues to...

On Tuesday, President Obama declared this week Captive Nations Week. The first Captive Nations Week was in 1959, proclaimed by President Eisenhower to call attention to the oppression of several countries in the Soviet Bloc and to encourage Americans to support fight for democracy and liberty worldwide. Enjoy the six quotes below as we observe a week dedicated to the beauty of freedom and decrying the continued existence of tyranny: Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or...

Does socialism make people kinder and more caring, while capitalismmakes people greedy and more selfish? No, in fact, justthe opposite is true. In this video, Dennis Prager explains the moral differences between socialism and capitalism, and why anyone who wants a kind and generous society must support one and oppose the other. ...

In Dierdre McCloskey’s latest book, Bourgeois Equality: How Ideas, Not Capital or Institutions, Enriched the World, she builds on her ongoing thesis that our newfound prosperity is not due tosystems, tools, or materials, but the ideas, virtues, and rhetoric behind them. Much has been made of herargument as it relates to the (ir)relevance of thosematerial features as causes: “coal or thrift or capital or exports or exploitation or imperialism or good property rights or even good science.” Butless has been...