Acton Institute Powerblog Archives

Post Tagged 'welfare state'

August 05, 2022

Expanding the welfare state in Africa is a threat, not a help

While bilateral and multilateral talks are hitting impasses around much of the globe, “Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want” is a continental agreement that breaks the mold. For all its lofty ambitions, this blueprint aiming at “transforming Africa into the global powerhouse of the future” is paradoxically both a celebration of and a threat to the family. Continue Reading...
December 04, 2019

‘Democratic socialist’ policies made the poor poorer: Study

Christians who oppose government intervention are often accused of harboring indifference, or antipathy, for the poor. But an abundance of evidence from two continents shows that welfare state policies actually reduce the wealth of the poor and raise prices, while benefiting the upper-middle class and well-connected corporations at taxpayers’ expense. Continue Reading...
August 03, 2018

Welfare states cultivate the sin of sloth

Alfred Tennyson wrote, “In the Spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.” But each summer “in Mediterranean countries, the youth seem to be haunted by the same pressing question: ‘Will i get a proper job?'”  Continue Reading...
January 23, 2015

America: Exceptional Or Entitled?

It’s no secret that government entitlement programs have increased dramatically over the past few decades. It’s no secret that some would like to continue to expand such programs. And it’s no secret that America cannot afford to keep doing this, either economically or morally. Continue Reading...
October 02, 2014

Samuel Gregg: Europe Is Rotting

Sam Gregg, Acton’s Director of Research, bemoans the state of Europe in The American Spectator today. In a piece entitled, “Something is Rotten in the State of Europe,” Gregg begins by noting that Germany seems to have lost all common sense. Continue Reading...
July 30, 2014

Christianity, Socialism, and Wealth Creation

Christian churches in the West have been focused on redistribution of income rather than the creation of wealth, says Brian Griffiths in this week’s Acton Commentary. Through much of the post-war period in the West, the formation of economic policy was dominated by Keynesian activism on the part of governments seeking an increasing role in providing public services, reducing material poverty, and reshaping income redistribution. Continue Reading...