Effective Compassion  Accountability  Bonding  Character  Discernment  Employment  Freedom  God

How are the poor best aided? After a thirty year governmental "War on Poverty" failed to reduce poverty in America, a consensus developed that the centralized entitlement approach of the federal government created more problems than it solved. Consequently, in 1996 welfare reform and its "Charitable Choice" provision paved the way for more involvement by the private sector, especially by faith-based institutions, in helping the poor make the transition from welfare to work. The welfare reform law of 1996 was a first step away from direct federal control of help to the poor and toward private sector solutions-but it was only a first step. The Acton Institute envisions a revivified civil society that is energetically involved in transforming the lives of the poor with a minimum of government intervention.

Research Areas :

1. Effective Compassion and Civic Renewal
2. The Ethics and Economics of Wealth Redistribution
3. Hazards of Public-Private Partnerships
4. Labor Issues
5. Marriage and the Family
6. Parental Choice in Education
7. Preferential Option for the Poor
8. The Social Thought of Abraham Kuyper
9. Catholic Social Teaching and the Poor
10. Spiritual Dimensions of Poverty
11. Subsidiarity and the Role of Mediating Institutions
12. The Work Ethic
13. Welfare Statism

Contact the following experts for more information on Effective Compassion:

1. Prof. E. Calvin Beisner
2. Dr. William C. Dennis
3. Dr. Todd R. Flanders
4. Dr. D. Eric Schansberg

Related Commentary:

• “Healthcare and Catholics: True and False Arguments” by Samuel Gregg D.Phil.
• “The Virtuous Path to African Development” by Anthony B. Bradley Ph.D.
• “Charitable Choice and Secular Goods” by Hunter Baker
• “Protecting the Poor From the Media’s Gas Tax” by Anthony B. Bradley Ph.D.
• “Charity on the Dole, Round Two” by Rev. Robert A. Sirico
• “Hearts — and Minds — for the Poor” by Michael Miller
• “What’s the Matter with Socialized Medicine?” by Dr. Donald P. Condit
• “The Truth about Tithing” by Jordan Ballor
• “Fighting AIDS with African Common Sense” by Jennifer Roback Morse Ph.D.
• “Abandon SCHIP: Big Government Returns” by Ray Nothstine
• “Darfur: Taking Student Advocacy beyond the Wristband” by Kaylin Wainwright
• “‘War On Poverty’ Remix Won’t Work Either” by Anthony B. Bradley Ph.D.
• “Illegal Immigration and the Church: Philanthropic Lawlessness” by Brooke Levitske
• “Recidivism and Reform: Competing Views of the State's Role in Prison” by Jordan Ballor
• “Welfare Reform is Working” by Anthony B. Bradley Ph.D.
• “Charity vs. Philanthropy” by Karen Woods
• “Buffett, Gates, and Stewardship” by Gerald Zandstra
• “Faith-Based Funding Politicizes Religion” by Rev. Robert A. Sirico
• “The North American Church and Global Stewardship” by Jordan Ballor
• “A Golden Opportunity for 'The Silver Ring Thing'” by Jordan Ballor
• “Does American Charity Cheat the Tax Man?” by Karen Woods
• “Compassion -- A Uniquely Human Trait” by Jordan Ballor
• “Afterthoughts on the Aftermath of the New Orleans Flood” by D. Eric Schansberg
• “More Government Control of Charities Looms” by Karen Woods
• “Heroes of the Half-Measure: Christian Advocates for Government Charity” by Jordan Ballor
• “The Free and Easy Charity of the 'One Campaign'” by Anthony B. Bradley Ph.D.
• “Soup, Soap, and Salvation: 125 Years of The Salvation Army in the U.S.” by Karen Woods
• “The Virtue of Nonprofits” by Karen Woods
• “Generosity - Public and Private” by Ben Sikma
• “Freeing Those Trapped in the Net” by John G. Gard
• “Compassion beyond Christmas: Recognizing America's Best Charities” by Karen Woods
• “An African Solution for Africa’s Poverty” by Michael Oluwatuyi
• “The Human Face of Compassion” by Karen Woods
• “A Church or a Business? Governing Faith-based Organizations” by Jamé Bolds
• “Magistrates and Ministers — A Case for Faith-based Prison Reform” by Jordan Ballor
• “Washington Pushes for Charity Regulation - A Sarbanes-Oxley for the Nonprofit World?” by Karen Woods
• “From Poverty to Property” by Jamé Bolds & Karen Woods
• “Measuring the Samaritan Factor” by Jamé Bolds
• “Bruce Springsteen: Bringing Charity Back Home” by Bruce Edward Walker
• “The Good Samaritan: Model of Effective Compassion” by Jordan Ballor
• “Politics and Faith-Based Research” by Karen Woods
• “Devaluing the Black Family” by Anthony B. Bradley Ph.D.
• “The Codification of Common Sense” by Phillip W. De Vous
• “What Gives? The Possibilities of Private Charity” by Phillip W. De Vous
• “The Sugar Cane Cutters of Bermejo: A Lesson in Self-Reliance” by Erin Riley
• “The Blessings and Challenges of Faith-Based Management” by Robert W. Simpson Ph.D.
• “Breathing Life (and Funds) into Civil Society” by Phillip W. De Vous
• “Effective Childcare--The Welfare Reform Dividend” by Phillip W. De Vous
• “Pro-Growth Heresy Benefits the Poor” by Phillip W. De Vous
• “The Human Reality of Work and Community in Welfare Reform” by Jamé Bolds
• “The Continuing Vision of Welfare Reform” by Phillip W. De Vous
• “Faith, Families, and Welfare Reform” by Phillip W. De Vous
• “The Living Wage: A Moral and Economic Evaluation” by Gerald Zandstra
• “Think Locally, Act Locally” by Gerald Zandstra
• “How Can Welfare Reform Improve?” by Rev. Robert A. Sirico
• “Tax Credits and the Virtue of Volunteerism” by Joseph Klesney
• “Transforming the Culture of Fatherlessness” by Rev. Robert A. Sirico
• “Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due” by Michael Barkey
• “Reflections on Bush's Faith-Based Initiative” by Gerald Zandstra
• “Models of Effective Compassion: Dr. John M. Perkins and 'the Three R's of Community Development'” by Michael Barkey

Books Available from the Acton Institute
	A Living Wage: Lessons in Economic Justice The purpose of this essay is to examine the moral principle of a living wage in light of economic considerations that are present in wage contract negotiation. Particular attention is given to the economic theory of subjective value and its relationship to both commutative and distributive justice.
	Transforming Welfare: The Revival of American Charity 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, one that replaces the increasingly questionable, centralized welfare state. This book includes essays from scholars such as Gertrude Himmelfarb , Amy L. Sherman , and others.
	" The Remedy for Poverty": Essays on the Moral Foundation of Effective Charity This collection of essays -- drawn from the winning submissions to the Lord Acton Essay Competition , the Institute's annual writing contest for students -- deals with the importance of creating incentives to moral virtue in constructing social service programs, the central role of personal responsibility in local poverty relief, and the foundation of true charity in the duty that arises out of the Christian's gratitude toward God. This book also includes an introduction by Marvin Olasky .