As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Rev. Robert Sirico, president and co-founder of the Acton Institute, shares thoughts on how reducing regulatory and tax burdens can help our struggling economy as we fight the virus. (This video was recorded and released on March 25, 2020.) If you missed the first video in this series, you can view it here. ...

As alarm bells continue ringing for the coronavirus pandemic, governments have aggressively stepped up heavy-handed measures to flatten the curve of contagion – especially through forced social distancing. While surely beneficial to slow the pace of infection, such radical isolation has halted virtually all public gatherings and most private free associations at work, worship, school and private charities. Should such lock-down procedures endure for a much longer-term and with greater severity, what will this mean? Will our free associations head...

During uncertain times, Rev. Robert Sirico, president and co-founder of the Acton Institute, offers his thoughts on human flourishing, subsidiarity, and more. (This video was recorded and released on March 20, 2020.) Some of Father Sirico’s mended resources are listed below the video. Robert Higgs, Crisis and Leviathan (Oxford University Press, 1987) On the principle of subsidiarity On Smith and the responsibilities of the state, including in time of emergency On the failure of centralized supranational responses ...

Elias Sader (social sciences) and Eamonn Clark (theology) tell us how empty classrooms were immediately and smoothly substituted via digital instruction platforms. They remark how this has forced traditional teachers to e enterprising in their methodologies of instruction (especially with panying visuals) yet with some natural “learning curves” and unintended consequences. The good news is that the high-tech digital classroom models being developed and implemented may be a “beta test” for perfecting and later expanding some of the world’s best...

Alejandro Chafuen, Acton’s Managing Director, International, posted his annual analysis of think tanks’ use of social media last week inForbes. He wrote: Due to the coronavirus pandemic think tanks around the world are working under quarantine and have cancelled all events in ing months. They will have to rely more on social media to get their messages across. How successful are free-market think tanks today in trying to attract traffic to their websites, as well as views and followers on...

As bination of isolation and bad news about the coronavirus pandemic depresses Americans, it is vital to look for the silver lining. The good news is that businesses from coast to coast and around the world are performing good deeds, whether civic-minded or profit-driven, that are making people’s lives better. Here are just a few examples: 1. Apple donates 10 million face masks to healthcare facilities. Last Saturday, Apple pledged to donate two million facemasks to healthcare workers. Vice President...

I had the privilege of being close to Jon Basil Utley (1934-2020) for the last 25 years of his life. Even though we disagreed on a few topics, we always did it with a smile. It was more like a game between friendly tennis partners than a struggle to score political or intellectual points against each other. Several years ago I read Odyssey of a Liberal, the autobiography of his mother, Freda Utley. I mend the book to all who...

Rev. Robert Sirico, president and co-founder of the Acton Institute, reflects on the unprecedented levels of debt that our society is taking on in the name of fighting the coronavirus. How tolerant are we ing to the government’s interventions? What role does subsidiarity play in solving our problems? Be sure to check out the other videos in this series, linked below. Thoughts from Rev. Robert Sirico during the coronavirus pandemic How freer markets can help during the coronavirus crisis with...

People all around the world have embraced new responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some continue to work providing needed goods and services, while others are discovering new ways their work can meet those needs while they are physically distant from their colleagues and those whom they serve. Some have embraced new roles caring for relatives and neighbors or educating children who are home from school. And far too many find themselves without work as businesses struggle and governments intervene to...

The United States is a land of plenty, but federal officials say it does not have all the medical equipment it needs to fight the coronavirus. With the government estimating the U.S. needs anywhere from 270 million to 3.5 billion additional face masks, one would think its top priority would be facilitating the creation of new masks and finding ways to reuse its existing supply—but developments this weekend indicate otherwise. The federal government initially mended that healthcare providers wear N95...