International Affairs

September 20, 2017

The $15 minimum wage is most likely to hurt ‘economically weaker’ areas

The scenario is familiar: Ontario has passed legislation to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, and a new report warns that could increase unemployment. Significant evidence reinforces concerns that this well-intentioned change will harm the poor. Continue Reading...

September 18, 2017

Booth: This reform would improve the ecological, and human, environment

To be good citizens, faithful people must examine policies’ results, not just their intentions. One overly intrusive environmentalist policy alone has prevented the poor from accessing adequate housing and, ironically, reduced the diversity of the environment. Continue Reading...

September 13, 2017

‘Can people of faith hold public office?’: Transatlantic insights

Believing in a faith, to the point that it impacts one’s views in any way, is increasingly seen as a disqualification for public office. Two recent events raise the possibility that this unofficial employment test is part of a larger, civilizational shift taking place on both sides of the Atlantic. Continue Reading...

September 12, 2017

Erasing the cross: Public vs. private sector

The European discount grocery chain Lidl stirred controversy by removing the cross from its products’ labels, so as not to give offense. Eagle-eyed consumers noticed that Eirdanous, its Greek food line, featured a picture of a blue-domed Greek Orthodox Church by the sea – but unlike every other such church, its cupola was not topped by a cross. Continue Reading...

September 11, 2017

The archbishop of Canterbury eyes a ‘broken’ economy

  Defending the free market and advocating for ever-greater access to capital is of paramount importance during uneven economic patches. That is how Christians should greet comments from Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, who recently said that the economy is “broken.” Continue Reading...

September 08, 2017

The eurozone could learn a lot from the Reformation

The president of France, with the agreement of Germany, has called for the creation of a single eurozone finance minister who would exercise some authority over the budgets of all its member nations – and the right to redistribute wealth between them. Continue Reading...

September 07, 2017

Prince William, Princess Kate, and the hope of Europe’s economic future

As Americans enjoyed a long Labor Day weekend, Prince William and Princess Kate announced they will soon welcome their third child into the world. Aside from its historical importance for the lineage of the House of Windsor, their pregnancy provides a hopeful contrast with much of Europe facing the economic consequences of a demographically barren and graying future. Continue Reading...

September 05, 2017

Economic inequality: Perception and reality

There is a link between economic inequality and national stress and unrest – but it may not be the relationship you assume. Rising media coverage of inequality makes people worry about their finances and believe their country is unjust, even if their incomes and economic fortunes are improving, a new study has found. Continue Reading...

September 01, 2017

Book review: ‘Reckoning with Race: America’s Failure’ by Gene Dattel

Reckoning with Race: America’s Failure. Gene Dattel. Encounter Books, 2017. 312 pages. Long before they exploded into violence at Charlottesville, race relations seemed so intractable that Alexis de Tocqueville wrote “the white and black races will [never] … be upon an equal footing.” Continue Reading...