The primary role of the World Health Organization (WHO) is to “direct and coordinate international health within the United Nations’ system.” But a new report finds that the UN agency is directing more money toward travel expenses than to fighting global diseases. According to the Associated Press, the WHO routinely has spent about $200 million a year on travel expenses—more than what it spends to fight AIDS and hepatitis ($70.5 million), tuberculosis ($59 million), and malaria ($61 bined. At a...

When es to responding to contemporary shifts in culture, Christianshave much to learn from Abraham Kuyper, the late Dutch theologian, university president, and prime minister of the Netherlands. “If God is sovereign, then his lordship must extend over all of life,” Kuyper wrote, “and it cannot be restricted to the walls of the church or within the Christian orbit.” Kuyper’s public theology offers plenty of challenges to our public responses, bringing a range of implications for the future of a...

May 25 is Africa Day, a holiday originally created to celebrate the foundation of the Organization of African Unity (now known as the African Union) on May 25, 1963. In honor of memoration, here are 25 facts you should know about the continent: 1. The continent has 54 independent states and one “non-self-governing territory” (Western Sahara). 2. Before colonial rule prised up to 10,000 different states and autonomous groups with distinct languages and customs. 3. The mon language spoken on...

The mind boggles as it tries prehend what could drive someone to bomb a crowd of concert-goers, many of them children, in the name of his or herreligion. Some, however, believe they have the answer: economic inequality. In a new essay for Religion & Liberty Transatlantic, Fr. Peter Farrington – a Coptic priest in the UK – notes that this facile explanation for the darkness that lies within the human heart enjoys the patronage of some of the West’s most...

Note: This is post #35 in a weekly video series on basic microeconomics. Does trade harm workers by reducing the number of jobs in the U.S.? Is it wrong to trade with countries that use child labor? In this video by Marginal Revolution University, Alex Tabarrok discusses some of the mon arguments against international trade. (If you find the pace of the videos too slow, I’d mend watching them at 1.5 to 2 times the speed. You can adjust the...

Note: This is post #34 in a weekly video series on basic microeconomics. How do tariffs affect consumers? What about producers? Who wins and who loses? In this video by Marginal Revolution University, economist Alex Tabarrok looks at the costs and consequences of tariffs, quotas, and protectionism. (If you find the pace of the videos too slow, I’d mend watching them at 1.5 to 2 times the speed. You can adjust the speed at which the video plays by clicking...

Economic growth is so vibrant in Europe that it is time to begin redistributing all the excess wealth, according to EU officials in Brussels. The European Commission issued its country-specific resolutions on Monday, and it believes the recovery from the Great Recession has been robust enough for EU members to turn their vision bating “economic inequality.” “This year, addressing inequality is firmly at the heart of our assessment,” said Marianne Thyssen, the EC’s Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and...

In secular Europe, it is rare for politicians to suggest that theEuropean Union’s expansive, imperious policies should be reformedby implementing a Christian doctrine. Yet that is precisely what a manifesto aimed at curbing EU excesses has done. The document proposes paring back the EU’s authority in the name of subsidiarity, the Catholic principle that a higher level of government should refrain from interveningin the actions of a lower level of government (and, we should add, in the actions of civil...

In response to increasing economic disruption and drastic social shifts in American life, Sen. Mike Lee recently launched the Social Capital Project, a multi-year research project dedicated to investigating “the evolving nature, quality, and importance of our associational life.” As I recently noted, the project’s first report highlights the connections between “associational life” and the nation’s economic success, stopping short ofspecific policy solutions. “In an era where many of our conversations seem to revolve around the individual and large institutions,...

Note: This is the post #18 in a weekly series of explanatory posts on the officials and agencies included in the President’s Cabinet. See the series introductionhere. Cabinet position:White House Chief of Staff Department: Executive Office of the President Current staffer:Reince Priebus Department Budget: Primary Duties of the Secretary:While the roles of the chief of staff varies by presidential administration, they usually include the following: • Select key White House staff and supervise them; • Structure the White House staff...