povertycure

November 26, 2018

On #GivingTuesday, avoid benevolent harm

Everyone is familiar with Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Now in its seventh year, #GivingTuesday has also become a permanent and popular fixture in the post-Thanksgiving landscape. #GivingTuesday occurs on the Tuesday immediately after Thanksgiving. Continue Reading...

September 14, 2017

Development vs. thuggery: How foreign aid hinders local business

The foreign aid movement has largely failed the global poor, promoting top-down solutions at the expense of bottom-up enterprises and institutions, as Acton’s widely acclaimed documentary, Poverty, Inc., and PovertyCure film series detail at length. Continue Reading...

June 29, 2017

Are slums a sign of human creativity and potential?

As humans, we are made in the image of God. We are co-creators, fashioned to produce and create, contribute and collaborate, give and receive, trade and exchange. Yet far too often, in our approaches to fighting poverty, we subscribe to a fundamental distortion of this reality, treating humans as mere consumers and “drains” on wealth and resources. Continue Reading...

May 05, 2017

How free trade creates economic and moral bonds

In our discussions about free trade, it can be easy to focus only on short-term disruptions or long-term material gains, using either to argue for or against it on behalf of the poor. Continue Reading...

April 11, 2017

Why the rule of law matters for human flourishing

In our efforts to reduce poverty, spur economic growth, and cultivate the conditions for human flourishing, the conversation can quickly be consumed with debates over material wealth and the allocation of physical resources. Continue Reading...

February 01, 2017

Video: Rudy Carrasco on how enterprise transforms communities

After growing up in poverty in East Los Angeles, Rudy Carrasco dedicated his adult life to pursuing “effective compassion” among those in need, working in urban ministry and investing heavily in poor communities. Continue Reading...

December 13, 2016

Cuba’s pioneers of capitalism: Marcus Lemonis goes to Havana

Although the Cuban people continue to suffer and struggle under the weight of communist rule, many have been encouraged by even the slightest of Raul Castro’s incremental changes toward private businesses. Continue Reading...

September 22, 2016

Acton Institute’s Assisi conference explores roots of poverty, engines of wealth

On September 12-14 the Acton Institute’s Rome office hosted its third annual “Economics, Development and Human Flourishing” conference in Assisi for seminarians and formation staff of the Vatican’s Pontifical Urban College. Continue Reading...

September 13, 2016

‘He needs us’: The missing ingredient in Western missions

More and more, Western churches are opening their eyes to the risks and temptations inherent in so-called “short-term missions,” whether manifested in our basic vocabulary, paternalistic attitudes, or reactionary service. As films like Poverty, Inc. Continue Reading...

July 25, 2016

Does Microfinance Help the Poor?

This week at the Institute for Faith, Work and Economics, contributor James Clark asked, “Can microfinance really help the poor?” His conclusion: yes microfinance can work, but with certain caveats. In the last decade, microfinance has become a popular strategy in poverty alleviation, yet many economists and philanthropists often call its effectiveness into question. Continue Reading...

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