Inan article published todayatThe American Spectator, Acton Senior Editor Rev. Ben ments on the solemn centenary of the munist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin’s ascendancy to power. Rev. Johnson notes the Russian Orthodox Church’s distaste for the symbolism of the late dictator’s body being prominently displayed in the Kremlin: These century-old events continue to dominate the news in modern-day Russia, where leaders grapple with how to deal with one tangible legacy of the Marxist past: After his death in 1924 at the...

Acton’s Director of Research, Samuel Gregg, recently addressed the myth of national sovereignty being a “relic of the past” and global governance being the singular solution for the West to move forward. In a new article for Public Discourse, he calls out recent reactions to global governance, namely Brexit, as long over-due and something to be expected in opposition to global governance that violates national sovereignty: Twenty sixteen was not a happy year for globalism. In different ways, Donald Trump’s...

Acton Institute Director of Programs and Education Paul Bonicellijoins host Liz Claman and columnist and pundit Ellis Henican on Fox Business Channel’s “Countdown to the Closing Bell” to discuss the way forward for President Trump after the failure of congressional Republican efforts to repeal Obamacare. You can view the full interview below. ...

“Big business” has e a favorite target of public scorn and contempt in the United States, constantly decried for its impersonal forces, cronyist lobbying efforts, and supposed greed. In Venezuela, however, the country’s largest privately pany has e a leading face of anti-government resistance. In a country torn to shreds by the follies of socialism, Empresas Polar continues to thrive and survive despite a range of economic challenges and government pressures. The Caracas-based food and drink producer is beloved by...

In 2012, François Hollande ran for president of France bysaying, “My true enemy … is the world of finance.” This month, the Socialist’s former economy minister, Emmanuel Macron, maintained his lead in the race to succeed Hollande by highlighting his work as an investment banker for Rothschild & Co. in a stump speech: “I’ve spent four years of my professional life there, of which I am very proud,” he said at a campaign stop this month. “I’ve learned a lot...

Note: This is post #26 in a weekly video series on basic microeconomics. Rent controls are a type of price ceiling where the government regulates the amounts charged for rented housing. In this video by Marginal Revolution University, Alex Tabarrox shows how rent controls reduce the quality of housing and create shortages by reducing the supply of apartments available on the market. (If you find the pace of the videos too slow, I’d mend watching them at 1.5 to 2...

Yesterday was the 25th anniversary of the death of the Austrian and British economist Friedrich Hayek. Throughout his life the Nobel-winning philosopher defended civil liberties and political freedom and warned against the Keynesian welfare state and of totalitarian socialism. In honor of Hayek, here are six key quotes from his writings: On Faith in Freedom: Freedom necessarily means that many things will be done which we do not like. Our faith in freedom does not rest on the foreseeable results...

Embed from Getty Images Children who grew up in poverty were twice as likely to struggle with financial challenges later in life, said Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen in a meeting last week. Yellen was referring to the results of a survey, to be released this spring, that reveals more than half of young people age 25 to 39 who reported that as children they worried over things like having enough food were currently facing financial challenges. “Young adults who...

Is protectionism patriotic? The recent discussions about free trade and protectionism seems to suggest it is. If you love your country, you’ll protect its economy. In a new article from The Stream, Samuel Gregg, Acton’s director of research, examines the growing hostility of American conservatism towards free trade and explains why supporting free trade is actually patriotic. He says: Over the past four years, Americans have turned against free trade. A majority nowsee free trade as bad for America. The...

Although unemployment continues to hover somewhere around 4.7 percent, the labor-force participation rate offers a grimmer outlook, falling from 67% in 2000 to 63% today. With the continued acceleration of globalization and automation, the future of work looks increasingly uncertain. The pains from the decline are widespread and diverse, and are particularly pronounced among men, as Nicholas Eberstadt outlines in his latest book, Men Without Work: America’s Invisible Crisis. “Nearly one in six prime working age men has no paid...