When Bob Dylan wrote, “The Times They Are A Changin’,” I doubt he had the Swedish Academy in mind. Nevertheless, by awarding him the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature the Academy has made a bold statement for a change in the way songwriting is viewed as literature. Many people have plained that there were many more worthy potential recipients. But let’s face the facts: Bob Dylan won, and they lost. He likely didn’t even know he peting. (Reportedly, he was...

We all (probably) want to reduce poverty, but how do we actually go about doing that? Pope Francis has been extremely vocal about this problem, but many have taken issue with his suggested solutions.When describing modern capitalism, he’s used phrases like “globalización de la indiferencia” and “cultura del descarte” or a globalization of indifference and a throwaway culture. Beyond soundbites and one-liners, many are trying to get at the exact meaning of the Pope’s statements on economics and poverty. During...

Have you ever wondered what liberal political activists and politicians think of Catholics? Well, thanks to Wikileaks you can get a glimpse into their views. In a couple ofemails from Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta’s account there are exchanges in which conservative Catholics are mocked. The first is the amusing titled“Catholic Spring.”Sandy Newman of Voices for Progress tells Podesta that she thinks there needs to be a “Catholic Spring” akin to the “Arab Spring”, the series of protest against...

Whether directly connected with our passions or not, God calls us first and foremost to do the next thing well, to his glory, with all of our might, says John Stonestreet. Short of this awareness, we risk “Christianizing” a sense of entitlement. Christians are guilty of inculcating false expectations to their young as well. For at least a couple of generations, Christian colleges and other educational institutions, with the noble intention municating the biblical concept of “calling” being more than...

Earlier this week the 2016 Nobel Prize in economics was jointly awarded to Oliver Hart and Bengt Holmström on Monday for their shared contributions to our understanding of contract theory. “Taken together the work of Hart and Holmström has allowed all of us to understand more clearly what a “good” contract might look like,” says Victor V. Claar in this week’s Acton Commentary, “even when both parties face an uncertain future.” Most of Professor Hart’s work has dealt with “principal-agent...

The implosion of Donald Trump’s campaign is a reminder that at the end of the day, character matters more than professional success or mitments. At the beginning of the second presidential debate Donald apologized again for the ments recorded during a private discussion with Billy Bush in 2005 in which he boasted of romantically pursuing married women and groping others. In his apology, he referred to that discussion as regular “locker room talk.” In other words, Trump believes he is...

“There are many things government can’t do—many good purposes it must renounce,” said Lord Acton. “It must leave them to the enterprise of others. It cannot feed the people. It cannot enrich the people. It cannot teach the people. It cannot convert the people.” Unfortunately for us, too few of our fellow Americans would agree with Lord Acton on that point. Many people think the government can feed, enrich, and teach us—and even convert us to the “right” (i.e., politically...

Acton Institute Director of Programs and Education Paul Bonicelli joined host Juliet Dragoson WZZM 13 News in Grand Rapids, Michigan yesterday to discuss the choice facing evangelical voters in the ing 2016 presidential election. You can watch the interview below. ...

“It needs to be our job to envision a different future for the church in which we teach our young people pete in the arena and be so excellent that they cannot be denied—to be shepherds.” -Gregory Thornbury In a recent lecture at the ERLC’s 2016 National Conference, Gregory Thornbury, President ofKing’s Collegein New York City, challenges the church to “stop talking about culture and engaging culture” and begin petitors into the “heart of the arena,” whether in finance, business,...

Note: This is the fifthpost in a weekly video series on basic microeconomics. In a previous post we looked at how to understand the demand curve. In this video, we take a closer look by examining how to read the demand curve, how demand curves shift, and consumer surplus. And in the one posted below, we look at some important factors that shift the demand curve, such as changes in population, changes in e, prices of substitutes, and changes in...