Latest Posts

July 27, 2018

Foreign aid fraud concerns ‘valid,’ says UK chief

The man who oversees the UK’s foreign aid budget says that public concerns about fraud, abuse, and futility associated with international development programs are “valid.” And he plans to fight those perceptions by launching an evangelistic campaign on behalf of the government. Continue Reading...
July 27, 2018

C.S. Lewis on why we have cause to be uneasy

If, like me, you spend a lot of time online—especially on social media—or watching the news you probably have a constant, low-level sense of anxiety. Always focusing on the problems in the world can cause us to feel a perpetual sense of unease. Continue Reading...
July 26, 2018

FAQ: The U.S.-EU plan to reduce tariffs

On Wednesday afternoon, President Donald Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker announced a new transatlantic plan to “make our planet a better, more secure, and more prosperous place” by lowering tariffs, trade barriers, and regulations between the U.S. Continue Reading...
July 26, 2018

We are all New Deal socialists now

President Trump is known for public unveiling his inner thoughts on Twitter. But one of the most revealing comments he’s ever made came recently in a private discussion with lawmakers about trade policy. Continue Reading...
July 25, 2018

Adam Smith and the morality of commercial society

Over at Arc Digital today I take a look at Adam Smith’s moral teachings, particularly in light of commercial society and Christian theology. This essay serves as a brief introduction to one of the Moral Markets projects I am working on, as well as a teaser for further exploration of the relationship between Christianity and classical political economy. Continue Reading...
July 25, 2018

The folly of ‘following your passion’

If you’re a young person in America, you’ve undoubtedly been bombarded by calls to “follow your passion,” “pursue your dreams,” or “do what you love and love what you do.” But do these sugary mantras truly represent the path to vocational clarity, economic abundance, personal fulfillment, and human flourishing? Continue Reading...
July 25, 2018

Justin Welby reimagines a poorer and less free Britain

“Christian leaders are often guilty of ‘souping up, the common good,” says Noah Gould in this week’s Acton Commentary. “Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, is no exception. In his latest book, Reimagining Britain: Foundations for Hope, Welby sets out to create a new social and political vision for the United Kingdom based on the common good.” Continue Reading...
July 24, 2018

The ‘idea equation’ and economic growth

Note: This is post #86 in a weekly video series on basic economics. As we’ve seen in recent entries in this series, ideas play a key role in economic advancement. If we can predict the future of ideas we can, in part, predict the future of economic growth. Continue Reading...