Religion & Liberty Online Archives

Economics

April 18, 2018

Is economics an ideology?

Richard H. Spady, research professor of Economics at Johns Hopkins, has recently published a piece at First Things entitled ‘Economics as Ideology’ in which he explores some contemporary trends among economists and their use of economics as a Procrustean bed to reshape society in its own image, A body of thought is “ideological” when it will­fully projects its own first principles on its subject matter and actively seeks, perhaps unconsciously, material changes to bring social realities into conformity with these first principles. Continue Reading...
April 11, 2018

Remember the intangibles: A caution to the 21st-century economist

Today’s economists have no shortage of confidence, offering models and measurements aplenty. But are the tools of the field keeping pace with the actual forces and factors at work? “The combination of economics with statistics in a complex world promises a lot more than it delivers,” economist Russ Roberts recently wrote. Continue Reading...
April 10, 2018

Is there a connection between opioid use and unemployment?

  For the past several years the U.S. has been undergoing an opioid epidemic. Opioids are drugs, whether illegal or prescription, that reduce the intensity of pain signals reaching the brain and affect those brain areas controlling emotion, which diminishes the effects of a painful stimulus. Continue Reading...
March 27, 2018

Toward a Godly globalization

Globalization is routinely decried for its disruptive effects, particularly as it relates to the health of our social relationships and community enterprises and institutions. Even as it’s proven to drive significant economic growth, questions remain about its steamrolling influence on the culture and society. Continue Reading...
March 13, 2018

Trade as fellowship: How tariffs hinder human relationship

As free traders continue to struggle with President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, it can be easy to focus only on the immediate or surface-level effects, whether we’re fretting over a spike in consumer prices, a slowing of economic growth, a decrease in dynamism at home, or a strain on foreign relations abroad. Continue Reading...