April 5, 2001, Grand Rapids, Michigan
The Civic Institute's , Roman Joch has joined the Acton Institute's Center for Economic Personalism (CEP) as a recipient of a Calihan research fellowship. The fellowship has provided Roman with two months of study in the U.S., during which he will edit a CEP paper on minimum wage laws and author an essay on civil society.
"I intend to write about the two prevailing concepts regarding the words 'civil society.' First, 'civil society' as a network of non-governmental associations, joining together voluntarily for the main work of meeting the needs of society. Second, the concept of 'civil society' as a set of tax payer-funded agencies in place designed to meet the needs of people. This is not true civil society, but is the subversion of civil society by attempting to make it a branch of government. The difference between the two is essential, especially now during the post communist era," Joch said.
Roman's fellowship will also provide him some time to research what he calls "American conservative fusionism," the study stressing freedom of the person while maintaining a moral strength. Roman cites the work of Lord Acton and Frank Meyer as primary to this work.