Acton Institute Powerblog

Promoting free societies characterized by liberty & religious principles

Jordan Peterson on the universal basic income

As we enter a new age of automation and artificial intelligence, fears about job loss and human obsolescence are troubling the cultural imagination. Prosperity abounds, but innovators like Elon Musk and Bill Gates continue to predict a future where humans steadily diminish in their contributions, becoming ever more dependent on external sources of provision. Continue Reading...

Explainer: Republican lawmakers unveil paid family leave plan

What just happened? Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) and Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Missouri) re-introduced a bill yesterday (slightly modified from one from last year) that would allow parents to use their Social Security benefits to provide paid parental leave benefits following the birth or adoption of a child. Continue Reading...

A world of economic miracles: The power of human cooperation

Surrounded by economic abundance, it can be easy to be distracted by what we see—products, tools, technology, resources—and assume our newfound prosperity stems from material causes. In turn, given the stability of many institutions and the increasing pace of innovation, continuous economic progress now seems somewhat inevitable. Continue Reading...