Globalizacion, Pobreza y Desarrollo Internacional
$6.00 [ purchase ]

One subject that never fails to spark debate is globalization. The phrase is used in every possible context, and yet its origins, nature and implicationsâ€Â¹especially for developing countriesâ€Â¹are often misunderstood. In this monograph, Lord Brian Griffiths examines the theory and practice of globalization, and underlines its positive influences on wealth-creation and its success in raising millions out of poverty. Griffiths warns, however, that the benefits of globalization are predicated on the culture that it reflects, and urges Christians to work to ensure that globalization reflects the principles of Christian anthropology, especially as articulated in John Paul II's 1991 encyclical Centesimus Annus, rather than narrowly secularist alternatives.

Pensions, Population, and Prosperity
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In both developed and developing nations, old age security is a concern of the utmost importance. Wealthy nations face ailing government pension systems, while less developed nations struggle to construct viable mechanisms for assisting the needy elderly. In this unique and provocative monograph, Oskari Juurikkala, fully cognizant of these differences and drawing on the wisdom of the Christian social tradition, argues that the solution for both groups of nations lies in the same direction - away from reliance on the state and toward strong familial and other private networks. The author's unusual blend of informed policy analysis and incisive cultural commentary makes this essay a vital contribution to the ongoing discussion over pension and social security reform.

Judaism, Markets, and Capitalism: Separating Myth from Reality
$6.00 [ purchase ]

How does one account for the widespread distaste among Jews for a free market political agenda? Will Jews, who earn per capita almost twice as much as non-Jews in America, ever get over their "champagne socialism"? Corinne and Robert Sauer, co-founders of the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies, contend that "it is not at all true that Judaism is a set of principles that endorses income redistribution and other progressive social programs." Instead, they say, Judaism is a system of throught that more naturally aligns itself with the basic principles of economic liberalism.

The Commercial Society
$16.95 [ purchase ]

Once relatively confined to parts of Europe and North America, commercial societies are now found in many other cultures and continents. Yet despite the international spread and growth of commercial order, the moral, economic, and legal foundations of commercial society remain poorly understood - especially in those countries where it first took root. Guided by the thoughts of Alexis de Tocqueville, Samuel Gregg's The Commercial Society identifies and explores the key foundational elements that must exist within a society for commercial order to take root and flourish. Gregg studies the challenges that have consistently impeded and occasionally undermined commercial order, including the persistence of "corporatist" values and political movements seeking to equalize social conditions. This book offers a historically grounded analysis for modern audiences interested in philosophy or the history of economics.

The Constitution Under Social Justice
$19.95 [ purchase ]

Antonio Rosmini-Serbati (1797—1855) was one of the first natural law scholars to bring natural law thinking into a conversation with the market economic order that was beginning to emerge in Europe in the 19th century. His reflections on matters such as the origin, nature, and limits of private property, the role of the state, and the nature of human reason show him to be a unique, innovative thinker who nonetheless was determined to work within the parameters of Catholic doctrine. Many of these ideas are concretized in his seminal work The Constitution Under Social Justice, a text that has profound insights to offer those today seeking to integrate theology, philosophy, and economics into their conceptions of a social order that aspires to be both free and just.

The Good That Business Does
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One of the major political challenges of the modern era has been to manage the integration of business into the life of the civil community. Similarly, Christian social thinkers have struggled to integrate business activity into their account of morality, justice, and the common good. While the disciplines of economics and law teach us much about the character of contemporary business, their descriptions are limited. Drawing on the natural-law tradition's concept of goods, this monograph offers a fuller treatment of the role of business in society and of its moral obligations. It upholds the importance of business's fulfillment of private goods, and also outlines the ways in which it contributes to the common good.

Rediscovering the Natural Law in Reformed Theological Ethics
$20.00 [ purchase ]

Is knowledge of right and wrong written on the human heart? Do people know God from the world around them? Does natural knowledge contribute to Christian doctrine? While these questions of natural theology and natural law have historically been part of theological reflection, the radical reliance of twentieth-century Protestant theologians on revelation has eclipsed this historic connection. Stephen Grabill attempts the treacherous task of reintegrating Reformed Protestant theology with natural law by appealing to Reformation-era theologians such as John Calvin, Peter Martyr Vermigli, Johannes Althusius, and Francis Turretin, who carried over and refined the traditional understanding of this key doctrine. Rediscovering the Natural Law in Reformed Theological Ethics calls Christian ethicists, theologians, and laypersons to take another look at this vital element in the history of Christian ethical thought. Regular Price $24.00 Sale Price $20.00

A Biblical Case for Natural Law
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This monograph is for Christians who are perplexed about the biblical standing of natural law. It offers an explicitly biblical defense for the existence and practical importance of natural law. If natural law is taught in Scripture, it should certainly be affirmed in Christian theology. The Studies In Christian Social Ethics and Economics series compiles topical studies of issues in Christian social ethics and economics integrating biblical studies, theology, economics, political theory, history, and various Christian traditions as centered in the Scriptures. The primary objective is to bring practitioners in these fields together to focus on the implications and applications of Christian social ethics in the church and society.

Banking, Justice and the Common Good
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The art of creating, managing, loaning, and investing money has always been fraught with moral hazards. Unfortunately, the widespread habit of viewing banking in a less-than positive light has contributed to misunderstanding of a human activity that not only contributes to human prosperity, but also creates a sphere of endeaver in which people can genuinely pursue virtue. Through considering commercial banking in light of the demands of justice and the common good, we recognize that the work of banking testifies to the sense of responsibility that each person ought to have for others' well being. Moreover, conscientiousness, honesty, trust, and exactitute are qualities of work implicit to prudent and profitable banking. To participate in these moral goods in a consistent and coherent way is to grow in virtue to transform ourselves from who we are into what we ought to be.

The Entrepreneurial Vocation (Paperback & 2-CD Set)
$18.00 [ purchase ]

In his address on June 19, 2005 at the Acton Symposium, Rev. Robert A. Sirico spoke passionately about the need to view business not simply as a money-making enterprise, but as a distinct calling from God. This set includes the two-CD recording as well as the paperback essay of Rev. Robert A. Sirico's "The Entrepreneurial Vocation."

Trial by Fury: Restoring the Common Good in Tort Litigation
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American tort law has become the subject of public scrutiny in the last decades. The criticism cast against it is that its current state bears economic incentives for abuse. But the tort law system engenders an even greater evil: the perversion of the human person. Acts of injustice tolerated by a permissive tort system have facilitated the near obliteration of forgiveness and reconciliation, of kindness and goodwill, and they have thus cleaved a chasm in human fellowship. The tort system has thus forsaken its proper role as arbiter of justice in service of the common good. Instead, it is distorting responsibility into blame, and human dignity into parasitic opportunism. This monograph not only points to the gravity of this moral effect of tort law on the human person, but it attempts to lay the ground for restoring the common good in tort litigation.

The Church and the Market: A Catholic Defense of the Free Economy
$19.95 [ purchase ]

In The Church and the Market: A Catholic Defense of the Free Economy, Thomas E. Woods Jr. makes a vigorous argument in favor of the market economy from a Catholic perspective. Filling a lapse in the debate on the role of religious thought in economic theory, Woods' uncompromising position, informed by the history of Catholic economic thought, shows that the long-seen contradiction between Catholic faith and support for the market economy does not exist. With attention to detail on almost all aspects of the free market, from the Federal Reserve System and inflation to antitrust legislation and labor issues, this book provides essential background for anyone interested in balancing issues of social conscience with modern economic principles.

Natural Law: The Foundation of an Orderly Economic System
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Author Alberto M. Piedra lucidly illustrates the notion of "natural law" through the examination of economic, social, political, and cultural issues. In this work Piedra draws on classical and Christian sources as well as his personal experience as an economist, diplomat, and lecturer on world politics to address philosophical views in a constructive and morally guided exegesis of natural law and economics. This innovative book shows the value of appeals to a governing, natural law and attendant principles such as the common good, subsidiarity, hierarchy, spiritual welfare, the reciprocity of freedom and authority, and the cultivation of personal moral and intellectual virtue. Natural Law will appeal to scholars, professionals, and others interested in the cultivation of personal moral and intellectual virtue. Alberto M. Piedra is the Donald E. Bently Professor of Political Economy at the Institute of World Politics.

Within the Market Strife: American Catholic Economic Thought from Rerum Novarum to Vatican II
$19.95 [ purchase ]

In a period often viewed by historians as one in which Catholics labored in an intellectual ghetto, shut off from mainstream American thought and culture, a number of Catholic intellectuals were thinking seriously about the relationship between Catholicism and its American context. "Within the Market Strife" examines these views on economic questions in the period 1891-1962, from populism and progressivism to the New Deal and post-World War II conservatism. The book uniquely contributes to the historical understanding of Catholicism - and of American intellectual history more generally - by examining the ways in which Catholic views variously mirrored and interacted with broader American (non-Catholic) views. "Within the Market Strife" combines Catholic and general American historiographies to discern the ways in which American Catholic economic thought was dependent on factors other than their adherence to the authoritative social teaching of their church, unique political loyalties, personal experience, and economic theories. This book is an essay in intellectual history that will prove itself invaluable to scholars interestred in Catholic history, economic history, American religious history, and American intellectual history. Dr. Schmiesing holds a Ph.D. in American history from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. in history from Franciscan University of Steubenville. He is the author of Within the Market Strife (2004) and American Catholic Intellectuals, 1895â�"1955 (2002) and of a number of articles in the areas of Catholic social thought and the history of economics. He serves as Book Review Editor for the Journal of Markets & Morality.

The Boundaries of Technique: Ordering Positive and Normative Concerns in Economic Research
$21.00 [ purchase ]

Exploring recent controversies over the role of ethics in economics, The Boundaries of Technique encourages scholars and students to discover and debate the ways in which economics is insulated from ethics and the ways in which it is dependent upon it. Using the moral philosophy of Thomas Aquinas, Author Andrew Yuengert brings readers to a deeper awareness of the intrinsic involvement of the individual and the responsibility of moral choice. Andrew Yuengert is the John and Francis Duggan Professor of Economics at Seaver College, Pepperdine University.

Providence & Liberty
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Softcover. Second Edition. Translated and Edited by Raoul Auduoin. Rev. Edmund Opitz writes, "This little book will introduce the reader to a rare and wonderful human being who has brilliant insights into the necessary connection between Christianity and Liberty. Those who are already fans of Bastiat will find that this book adds another dimension to their appreciation, those who read and reread "The Law" will find this a perfect companion volume." Regular Price: $5.00; Sale Price: $3.50

A Theory of Corruption
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There is no greater scourge that affects the proper functioning of any economic system than corruption. Tragically, corruption is pervasive in developing nations. It is found often on the part of public officials who delay the issuance or processing of public documents unless a monetary inducement is offered. It is found in the typical mismanagement and appropriation of national budgets toward the personal gain of political leaders. And it is found in ordinary individual transactions in the form of fraud, price gouging, and organized crime. The effects of corruption also have legal ramifications, often undermining the rule of law. But fundamentally, corruption falls squarely in the moral realm because it is symptomatic of the original sin that marks the heart of every person. This monograph offers a theological and economic examination that puts into question many of the uncritically accepted assumptions held about corruption.

Inhabiting the Land
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John Paul II asserts the right to migrate and this monograph presents a defense for this case. But the meaning of right employed in this defense is wholly distinct from that employed in the contemporary rights language of public policy debates. Rather, the meaning of right in Catholic natural law tradition is analogous to the right to property, and not to the right to life. Accordingly, the burdens of migration on host countries is fundamental to the analysis. Indeed most of the examinations of the right to migrate in Catholic social thought are conducted in the context of the economic motives for immigration public policy, as well as for emigration decisions on the part of individuals. This monograph thus presents an economic analysis of migration that is consistent with the Christian concern for the dignity of persons.

On Ordered Liberty: A Treatise on the Free Society
$17.95 [ purchase ]

Perhaps no greater question divides scholars, jurists, and statesmen than the nature of human liberty. While liberty is central to the claims of the Christian Gospel, the Glorious Revolution of 1688, and the American Revolution, discussions about its nature have been characterized by profound disagreement. What does it mean to be free? Why should man be free? What, if any, responsibilities accompany freedom? These matters are at the heart of "On Ordered Liberty". Ideal for graduate students and those interested in law and public policy, "On Ordered Liberty" goes beyond the liberal and conservative divide and asks readers to think about the proper ends of human choice and action. Reg Price: $17.95; Sale Price: $15.00

And Why Not? Morality and Business
$8.50 [ purchase ]

This book-length extended interview provides fascinating insights into the mind of François Michelin, the former managing partner of Group Michelin. In one of the few interviews he has ever given, Michelin sat down with two journalists and discussed his management philosophy and his deeply felt Christian faith. Apart from offering subtle theological reflections into the nature of business, Michelin speaks eloquently about the creative dimension of free enterprise and the human aspect of life in the commercial world. "The main thing is to live, but in order to do this, one has to feed on the reality that is hidden behind facts, one has to seek out root causes," Michelin says in And Why Not?. Michelin is also outspoken about the French government's penchant for central planning and collectivist economic systems. France, he maintains, has been governed by the spiritual sons of Marx. The same technocrats who are so fond of Marxist theories are also frightened by open markets and globalization. Michelin observes that,"In our country, there is a marked preference for hitting people with all kinds of duties and taxes rather than giving them the means to invent, to make progress, and to compete."

Faith and Liberty: The Economic Thought of the Late Scholastics
$17.95 [ purchase ]

A common working assumption of many economists is that modern economics began with Adam Smith. Largely forgotten is the contribution of the Spanish scholastic thinkers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Thinking through issues such as the just price and the legitimacy of private property, these Catholic theologians and philosophers were the first to grapple with ideas normally associated with Smith. In Faith and Liberty, Alejandro A. Chafuen draws upon many texts largely unfamiliar to English-speaking audiences to illustrate that the origin of modern economics lies very much in natural law and scholastic moral theology. A work that challenges economists and theologians alike, Faith and Liberty points to the need for modern economics to be grounded upon a revised anthropology of the human person, and it makes the case for theologians and the church to recognize the capacity of economics to contain greater truths.

Liberating Labor: A Christian Economist's Case for Voluntary Unionism
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Do labor unions offer the best protection for the worker? Published by the Acton Institute, Liberating Labor questions the assumption that Christian social teaching unequivocally endorses all forms of trade unionism. If we consider the church's defense of freedom of association, for example, compulsory union membership is clearly at odds with Christian teaching. This monograph offers the first rigorous-yet accessible-economic analysis of labor unions and the labor market that takes into account the Christian understanding of labor.

The Soul of Liberty
$3.50 [ purchase ]

An interview with Robert A. Sirico regarding the synthesis between religion and liberty. Questions and issues addressed include: What is the origin of the idea that the State has no claim on the soul? What do you say to those who embrace the message of liberty but are fearful of the religious and moral agenda you are describing here? Let me ask you about consumerism and materialism in particular. Are these phenomena intrinsic to capitalism? What particular dangers, if any, are associated with new technologies? Regular Price: $5.00; Sale Price: $3.50

Challenging the Modern World: Karol Wojtyla/John Paul II and the Development of Catholic Social Teaching (Softcover)
$27.95 [ purchase ]

Softcover. Samuel Gregg provides an insightful, cogent, and thorough analysis of the issues surrounding developments in Catholic social teaching during the pontificate of John Paul II. He compares the treatment in John Paul's social encyclicals of three topics-industrial relations, capitalism, and the relations between developed and developing countries-with the handling of these matters in the social teachings of the Second Vatican Council and Paul VI. Through the application of a comparative exegetical approach to the relevant texts, it becomes apparent that John Paul's development of the teaching derives from several sources. Within this analysis, Gregg considers a more specific and less widely examined issue: the extent to which the development in Catholic social thought has been influenced by the writings of Karol Wojtyla before he became pope in 1978. In addition to revealing an openness to certain modern philosophical insights and expressing a range of views about the modern world, these writings elaborate a distinctive anthropology of man as the conscious subject of moral acts.

Doing Justice to Justice: Competing Frameworks of Interpretation in Christian Social Ethics
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The first monograph of the 2002 Christian Social Thought Series defines the relationship between economic or social justice and the classical understanding of justice as a virtue. This forward thinking essay discusses the proper role of the state for achieving justice and argues that a truly just society depends on vigorous social institutions and responsible citizens.

Globalization, Economics, and the Family
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At the joint initiative of the Pontifical Council for the Family and the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty, a large group of philosophers, lawyers, journalists, business leaders, economists, legislators, theologians, and those responsible for the pastoral care of the family met at Vatican City, from November 27-29, 2000, to reflect on the different aspects of globalization, and its impact on the family and family life. The papers presented, and the conclusions reached at this gathering are presented in this book. "Globalization is neither an angel nor a monster. At the dawn of the third millennium, it is up to families to give an adequate answer to the challenges and opportunities offered by this new emerging social order. We pay that the grace of the Lord of Life, passing through the testimony of Christian families, may come to enlighten our troubled world. Our firm hope is that the globalization which is shaping the culture of tomorrow will not deliver a system without a soul, with sterile tensions, but will blossom into a civilization of love." —Conclusions of the Conference. Contents include: "The Family and Globalization" by Cardinal Alfonso López Trujillo; "Free Markets and the Profit of Solidarity" by Rev. Robert A. Sirico; "The Family and the Global Community" by Michael Novak; "Globalization and the Social Teaching of the Church" by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin; "The Global Breakdown of the Family and Its Consequences" by Charles Colson; "The Family from the Viewpoint of the Business World" by François Michelin; "The Family from the Perspective of Business" by Frank Hanna III; "The Globalization of the Family from the Manager's Point of View" by Dr. Alberto J. Vollmer; "Legislators, the Family, and Globalization" by Prof. Russell Hittinger; "Family and Culture" by Dr. James Dobson; The Family and Politics" by Dr. Joaquín Lavín; "The Family in Constitutional Law" by Prof. Herbert Schambeck; "The Family as the Basis of Society" by Prof. Rocco Buttiglione; "Globalization, Economics, and the Family" by Jaime Antúnez Aldunate; "The Family from the Perspective of Journalists: The Security of Opportunity" by William McGurn; "Globalization and Political Economy" by Msgr. Michel Schooyans; "Globalization and Threats to the Family and Life" by Dr. Belisario Betancur; "Poverty and the Family in the Third World" by Kathryn Hauwa Hoomkwap; "Public Service a Ministry to Protect the 'Least of Our Brethren and Strengthen the Family'" by Rep Chris Smith; "The Family from the Perspective of Politicians" by Maria Smereczynska; "The Future of the Family and the Teaching of Pope John Paul II" by George Weigel.

Economic Thinking for the Theologically Minded (Softcover)
$34.00 [ purchase ]

Economic Thinking for the Theologically Minded provides an introduction to what has been called "the economic way of thinking." This involves explaining some of the critical concepts and foundational assumptions employed in economics. To communicate these ideas effectively to those engaged in theological studies, this book avoids using unnecessary technical terminology. These concepts are then subject to analysis from the standpoint of Christian ethics, with emphasis placed upon the often-unsuspected degree of agreement between economics and Christian belief about the nature of the person. The second half consists of a collection of selections from classical economic texts, representing a range of authors from a variety of schools of thought. These selections have been arranged around ten key concepts, each of which attempts to deepen understanding of various ideas presented in the book's first half.

Religion, Duty, and Liberty: Graduate Essays on the Effect of Religion on Liberty
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Winning essays from the 2000 Lord Acton Essay Competition. In this collection of essays seminarians and religious studies students were asked to write on Lord Acton's statement: "No country can be free without religion. It creates and strengthens the notion of duty. If men are not kept straight by duty, they must be by fear. The more they are kept by fear, the less they are free. The greater the strength of duty, the greater the liberty." Contents include: "How Firm a Foundation: Puritanism as the Wellspring of American Freedom" by John Carpenter; "The Freedom of Religion" by Kevin DeYoung; "Faith's Children" by R.J. Snell; "Moral Obligation and the Free Society" by Eric Patterson; "On Religion, Duty, and Liberty" by Joel D. Hathaway. Includes a Foreward by Robert A. Sirico and an Introduction by Matthew Spalding.

Catholicism̢۪s Developing Social Teaching
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An examination of the development of Centesimus Annus, Pope John Paul II's ground-breaking encyclical letter of 1991.

A Moral Basis for Liberty
$5.00 [ purchase ]

An outline of the moral foundation of the free market economy, built upon respect for private property and voluntary activity.

Transforming Welfare
$7.50 [ purchase ]

By offering private alternatives to the failed welfare state, this collection of essays hopes to contribute to the restoration of an ethic that can be the foundation of a truly free and humane system of social assistance.

The Social Agenda: A Collection of Magisterial Texts
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Students, teachers, and all those who seek a better knowledge of the social doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church will find contained within this collection the central statements of the Roman Pontiffs from a range of texts, including papal encyclicals, apostolic letters, and Conciliar documents, on matters relating to politics, economics and culture. Also available in Spanish, Italian, French, German, Portuguese, and Polish

Centesimus Annus: Assessment and Perspectives
$20.00 [ purchase ]

Twenty-two international scholars, business leaders, statesmen, and clergy inventory the heritage of, and chart a future direction for, Roman Catholic social teaching.

The Limits of Government: Graduate Essays on the Proper Role of the State
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Winning essays from the 1999 Lord Acton Essay Contest, with an introduction by D. Eric Schansberg. The essays included in this book are based on the following quotation from Lord Acton: "There are many things the government can't do - many good puposes it must renounce. It must leave them to the enterprise of others. It cannot feed the people. It cannot enrich the people. It cannot teach the people. It cannot convert the people." The five essayists in this book approach this quotation from both angles: what can government do - and, given what government can do, what should government do? Essays include: On the Limits of the State in Education by R. Dean Davenport; Civil Government and Religion: Interactions in the Protection of Liberty by Melvin L. Schut; Do No Harm or Do Good? Should the Government Provide for the People? by Andrew D. Muras; Efficienty versus Personalism: Competing Rationales for Limited Government by Timothy A. Reichert.

Ethics and Economics: Graduate Essays on the Moral Foundation of Political Economy
$5.95 [ purchase ]

Winning essays from the 1998 Lord Acton Essay Contest, with an introduction by James V. Schall, S.J. Essays include: The Moral Foundation of Political Economy by Joshua P. Hochschild; The Kingdom of Man in America: Economic Freedom and Prosperity in Moral and Theological Perspective by Zachary R. Calo; The Moral Foundation of Civilization: Appetite or Duty? by Jonathan Barlow; Deep Moral Foundation: The Keys to Stable and Prosperous Political Economies by Michael Black; The Moral Personality of Economics by Sean Mattie.

The Role of Religion in Fostering a Free & Virtuous Society
$2.00 [ purchase ]

Winning essays from the 1992 Lord Acton Essay Contest, including Foundations of Freedom by Jeffrey A. Leach; Freedom, Justice & Love by Kenneth R. Craycraft, Jr.; Destroying the Power of Myth: A Thomistic Evaluation of the Origin of a Free Society by Brother Robert Gabriel Pivarnik; The Common Good and Liberal Democracy: The Problem of Particularity by Brian Stiltner; Cooperative Liberty: An Ethic for New World Order by Dennis N. McBride.

An Education for a Good Life
$1.50 [ purchase ]

This monograph is a lecture by the 1994 Michigan State Board of Education president on returning character education to public schools.