Acton Line

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI—scholar, teacher, theologian, prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, and finally supreme pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church until his resignation in 2013—died on December 31, 2022, at the age 95.   Whether the subject was Islam, ecumenism, the rise and decline of the West, or simply "Who is Jesus Christ?,” Benedict opened up discussions once consider...

On November 7, 2022, the jackpot for the Powerball lottery reached an astonishing $2.05 billion. Even after the federal and state governments take their piece of that, the winner will still be the recipient of a life-changing amount of money, more than enough to last an entire lifetime. But if the winner of that $2.05 billion Powerball jackpot was the United States federal government, they'd burn...

The Acton Institute is named in honor of John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton (1834–1902), 1st Baron Acton of Aldenham, a historian of freedom. Known as “the magistrate of history,” Lord Acton was one of the great personalities of the 19th century. Widely considered one of the most learned Englishmen of his time, Lord Acton made the history of liberty his life’s work.   The most notable conclusion of...

The Beatles will go down in history as one of the most prolific music acts of all time. Their music is still played in our homes and around the world and has influenced pop culture on a global scale. In this episode, Eric Kohn, Acton's Director of Communications, sits down with Samuel Staley to discuss his new book The Beatles and Economics: Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and the Making of a Cultur...

Daniel Klein is professor of economics and JIN Chair at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, where he co-leads a program in Adam Smith. There's been renewed interest in the role Christianity has played in liberalism since Larry Siedentop’s 2014 book, Inventing the Individual: The Origins of Western Liberalism. Today, Dan Churchwell, Acton’s Director of Programs and Education, sits down...

For this episode, we’re presenting the final evening plenary from Acton University 2022. This plenary was a panel discussion on Hong Kong medial mogul and pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai, the subject of Acton’s most recent documentary feature film, The Hong Konger: Jimmy Lai’s Extraordinary Struggle for Freedom. When Hong Kong’s basic freedoms come under attack, Jimmy Lai finds himself in the cro...

In this episode, Sarah Negri, research project coordinator at the Acton Institute, sits down with Margarita Mooney Clayton, professor of practical theology at Princeton Theological Seminary and founder and executive director of Scala Foundation, to talk about Mooney Clayton’s most recent book The Wounds of Beauty: Seven Dialogues on Art and Education (Cluny Media, 2022). They discuss beauty as a w...

For this episode, we're bringing you a session from our recent Poverty Cure Summit, a debate between between Bryan Caplan and Chris Arnade. The Poverty Cure Summit provides an opportunity for participants to listen to scholars, human service providers, and community leaders address the most critical issues we face today that can either exacerbate or alleviate poverty. Speakers joined panel discuss...

In this episode, we're bringing you the keynote address from Mary Kissel at this year's Acton Institute Annual Dinner. Mary Kissel is executive vice president and senior policy adviser at Stephens Inc., a Little Rock, Arkansas–based, privately held financial services firm, where she advises management and clients on foreign policy and geopolitical risk. Prior to joining Stephens, she served as sen...

How can leaders respond to discouragement in their work? Noah Gould sits down with Peter Greer, President & CEO of HOPE International, to discuss his latest book, The Gift of Disillusionment. In this conversation, they explore the responses of cynicism and idealism, and how leaders can move forward through extreme trials and disappointments. Subscribe to our podcasts The Gift of Disillusionment |...

In 2016, Nick Eberstadt’s book “Men Without Work: America's Invisible Crisis” brought to light the grim reality that millions of working-age men were retreating voluntarily from the labor force. Although this trend was widely overlooked for decades, Eberstadt’s searing analysis finally made it impossible to ignore. Today, six years and one catastrophic pandemic later, the male exodus from work has...

Common economic perceptions pervade our discourse on policy. Dr. Caleb Fuller’s latest book, No Free Lunch: Six Economic Lies You’ve Been Taught and Probably Believe, sets out to dispel these myths. Acton’s President Emeritus, Fr. Robert Sirico said of the book, “Anyone who wants a well-rounded education will not want to be without the knowledge this book contains.”   This week on Acton Line, Noah...

One of America’s greatest success stories is its economy. For over a century, it has been the envy of the world. The opportunity it generates has inspired millions of people to want to become American. Today, however, America’s economy is at a crossroads. Many have lost confidence in the country’s commitment to economic liberty. Across the political spectrum, many want the government to play an ev...

American conservatism appears to be coming apart at the seams. What, if anything, can bring the various factions together to fight the much greater threat of an illiberal, intolerant left? Perhaps plain common sense. In this episode of Acton Line, George H. Nash sits down with Noah Gould to discuss his article "Conservatism and Its Current Discontents: A Survey and a Modest Proposal" which appeare...

Alexander Hernandez Romanowski is a crypto research analyst at Tribal.  Formerly a blockchain research analyst at the Mcnair Center for entrepreneurship at the Baker Institute for Public Policy, Romanowski focuses on how blockchain technology can improve access to capital for small businesses and entrepreneurs.  Stephen Barrows, Acton’s Chief Operating Officer, sits down with Romanowski to examine...

5G. Microchips in vaccines. Crisis actors. Chemtrails.  It seems that tales of conspiracy theories are in the news, and on social medial, constantly. But conspiracy theories have been with us for a long time. Black helicopters. 9/11 trutherism. The JFK assassination. And, anti-semitism is arguably the oldest conspiracy theory there is. Are conspiracy theories more prevalent now than they have been...

Philip Booth is professor of finance, public policy, and ethics and director of Catholic Mission at St. Mary’s University explores all aspects of free trade and globalization. What is globalization? Is it a new phenomena? How did globalization fuel progress in the 19th century and how was it disrupted? How has globalization effected the developing world? How are effects different in the developed...

Rabbi Mitchell Rocklin serves as the president of the Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty and is also a resident research fellow at the Tikvah Fund has a wide ranging conversation on Judaism and Markets. How does religion in general speak to the market economy? Does Judaism’s covenantal self-understanding foster a unique perspective? Where do the perspectives of Christianity and Islam overlap w...

In The Rise of the New Puritans, Commentary Magazine associate editor Noah Rothman explains how, in pursuit of a better world, a relatively new and fervent strain of progressivism, in a “burst of moral enthusiasm” is ruining the very things which make life worth living by attempting to craft a society full of verbal trip wires and digital witch hunts. Football? Too violent. Fusion food? Appropriat...

David George Moore, founder and president of Two Cities Ministries, discusses his recent book Stuck in the Present: How History Frees and Forms Christians. Dylan Pahman, Acton research fellow and executive editor of the Journal of Markets & Morality, joins Moore to explore his vision of how a deeper appreciation of history can ground Christians in an age in which one too often faces a landslide of...

P. J. Hill, professor of economics emeritus at Wheaton College (Illinois) and a senior fellow at the Property and Environment Research Center in Bozeman, Montana, delves into the topic of “Economic Inequality and Envy” based on a lecture he gave at Acton University 2022. Sarah Negri, research project coordinator at Acton, sits down with Hill to talk about the different kinds of economic inequality...

The Rev. John Arthur Nunes, Ph. D., is a Lutheran pastor and senior fellow at the Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy, discusses the current challenges in higher education.  How can students be challenged to enter into the world of new ideas in an era when many students and administrators seem more concerned with affirming student identities and experience? What are the current challenges...

You’ve heard of the Seven Deadly Sins: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth. Each is a natural and recurring human weakness that impedes happiness. In addition to these vices, however, there are deadly economic “sins.” They, too, wreak havoc in both our personal lives and in society. They can seem intuitively compelling, yet lead to waste and lost prosperity. Dylan Pahman, Acton’s...

The Acton Institute’s Emerging Leaders Program is a leadership development initiative that brings together a cohort of students from across the nation and globe for a transformative experience. During the summer, Emerging Leaders gain professional experience, grow their network, and delve deeper into the ideas of a free and virtuous society.    In this episode, we sit down with three of our Emergi...

Francis Beckwith, professor of philosophy and church-state studies at Baylor University, discusses the lecture he gave at Acton University 2022 entitled, “Taking Rites Seriously: Law, Politics, and the Reasonableness of Faith.” Sarah Negri, Acton’s research project coordinator, sits down with Beckwith to discuss how religious rites such as marriage have a special significance not typically recogni...