January 2017 Archives

January 04, 2017

Video: Karl Zinsmeister on how philanthropy fuels American success

As we enter into a new year here at Acton, we still have some items from 2016 to share with you. On October 3rd, we were pleased to welcome Karl Zinsmeister, Vice President of Publications at the Philanthropy Roundtable, to speak on the importance of philanthropy in the United States. Continue Reading...

January 03, 2017

How a great Nobel economist understands the relationship between faith and reason

On New Years Day, the Nobel Prize-winning economist Vernon Smith turned 90. To mark the occasion, Samuel Gregg wrote an essay for the Stream about Smith and the significance of his work. Continue Reading...

January 03, 2017

Explainer: What you should know about right-to-work laws

Shifts in the partisan composition of state legislatures during the recent election has made it likely that several states will be passing right-to-work bills in 2017. As Melissa Quinn of The Daily Signal notes, in Kentucky, Missouri, and New Hampshire, last month’s election resulted in a flip in party leadership in either governors’ mansions or state legislatures, which put previously defeated right-to-work legislation back on the table. Continue Reading...

January 03, 2017

A price is a signal wrapped up in an incentive

Note: This is post #15 in a weekly video series on basic microeconomics. The price system allows for people with dispersed knowledge and information to coordinate global economic activity. The global production of roses, for example, reveals how the price system is emergent, and not the product of human design. Continue Reading...

January 02, 2017

10 Things you should know about the minimum wage

The minimum wage increased yesterday in nineteen states across the U.S.: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, South Dakota, Vermont, and Washington. Continue Reading...