“Men Without Chests” is the curious title of the first chapter of C.S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man. In the book, Lewis explains that the “The Chest” is one of the “indispensable liaison officers between cerebral man and visceral man. It may even be said that it is by this middle element that man is man: for by his intellect he is mere spirit and by his appetite mere animal.” Without “Chests” we are unable to have confidence that we...

On this episode of Radio Free Acton, Andrew Vanderput, PovertyCure strategy and engagement manager at Acton, holds a discussion with Peter Greer, president and CEO of Hope International, on how human flourishing can be brought about in the context of poverty. Then, on the Upstream segment, Bruce Edward Walker talks to author Jeremy Begbie about his new book, Redeeming Transcendence in the Arts. Check out these additional resources on this week’s podcast topics: Learn more about PovertyCure Learn more about...

Note: This is post #80 in a weekly video series on basic economics. The Solow model was named after Robert Solow, the 1987 winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics. Among other things, the Solow model helps us understand the nuances and dynamics of growth, says Alex Tabarrok of Marginal Revolution University. The model also lets us distinguish between two types of growth: catching up growth and cutting edge growth. As you’ll soon see in this video, a country can...

In recognition of Professor Lucas G. Freire’s outstanding research in the fields of philosophy, religion, and economics in the ancient Near East, the Acton Institute will be awarding him the 2018 Novak Award. Despite Michael Novak’s passing in February 2017, his memory will continue to be honored every year with the presentation of the Novak Award. This recognizes new outstanding research by scholars early in their academic careers who demonstrate outstanding intellectual merit in advancing understanding of the relationship between...

Acton Institute Director of Research Samuel Gregg made an appearance yesterday on theHappy Hour with Mike & Vince show on WLCR in Louisville, Kentucky to discuss the Vatican’s recently released statement on “ethical discernment regarding some aspects of the present economic-financial system.” You can listen to the full discussion via the audio player below. ...

Education Secretary Betsy DeVosIn today’s Detroit News, Acton President Rev. Robert A. Sirico writes that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops should consider the Catholic doctrine of subsidiarity before weighing in on education reform. In his essay, “Localize, Don’t Politicize, Our Schools,” Fr. Sirico notes that he is the priest of a parish that hosts pre-school and K-12 education, which daily brings him face-to-face with parents who make considerable sacrifices on behalf of educating their children. I know too...

As Americans continue to flock to large cities in search of opportunity and connection, many of those same cities are suffering from expensive housing costs, arbitrary price controls, onerous regulations, and cronyist governance—the sum of which is serving to diminishaccess to the pondand stunt opportunity among the disconnected. In Seattle, Washington, for example, we see the typical cocktail of a progressive urbanist’s daydreams, mixing excessive land-use regulationswith a series of knee-jerk jolts in the minimum wage. Despite being home to...

What just happened? On Tuesday, the House voted 258-159 (including 33 Democrats) in favor of the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act. The legislation rolls back some of the Dodd-Frank banking and financial regulations that were implemented after the financial crisis a decade ago. The Senate has already approved a similar version and President Trump said he will sign the bill. What is Dodd-Frank? The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (better known as Dodd-Frank) is...

In this week’s Acton Commentary I take on Thanos’ zero-sum economic worldview as manifest in Avengers: Infinity War. In the classic debate over positivity and normativity in economics, Thanos is definitely not a value-free figure. He pursues, with single-minded tenacity and brutality, the moral good he perceives. Toward the end of the piece, I cite Hayek as an example of an alternative perspective, one that sees development and possibility where Thanos sees decay and finitude. Hayek is, in his own...

In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis described the dreary state of Narnia under the curse of the White Witch as “always winter but never Christmas.” His assessment may soon apply to the National Health Service (NHS), whose annually intensifying “winter crisis” threatens to e permanent, according to the UK’s leading doctors’ association. “The winter crisis has truly been replaced by a year-round crisis,” said Dr. Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the British Medical Association (BMA). Each winter,...