Anne Rathbone Bradley

The topic of income inequality is not new, but it is increasingly dominating academic and policy conversations. When French economist, Thomas Piketty, wrote a 704-page tome on income inequality in 2014 it sold out quickly.  How could a massive book on such a technical concept generate so much popular interest?  Piketty tapped into some deep and growing concerns that Americans have about income inequality. Is the large gap between the rich and poor in the United States a problem and is it getting worse? If so, what should we do about it and what can we do about it? Christians must wrestle with these questions if we truly want to help not only the poor, but all those who might be increasingly marginalized by a rigged system.

For Piketty and many others, the story on income inequality is straightforward as is the solution.  The rich are accruing riches at an increasing rate and that leaves less for the poor and it makes the poor less able to escape their situation. Their solution?  Tax the rich at very high rates, in some cases 75 percent, and that wealth will be redistributed to even the playing field...

The case of 11-month-old Charlie Gard continues to garner international attention and pleas for his life from Donald Trump and Pope Francis. Cases like Charlie’s, while exceptional and rare, are important because they establish precedents regarding the relationship between the individual and the state. When we think about it in this way, Great Ormond Street Hospital – which has been the target of much criticism – is actually almost an incidental player.  The London children’s hospital is responding to the rules of the game – the institutional legal structure – and we can expect it to act according to the incentives those rules set forth.

Institutions and incentives also play a key role in creating an environment where Charlie’s case can have a happier ending – where human ingenuity can be freed to achieve disease prevention and cure.

It’s rare for children who acquire the disease Charlie has to survive through late childhood. Experience and advances in treating the condition have been minimal, because only 16 people are known to have ever had this condition. Without treatment, Charlie’s death is certain. With treatment, his death is still very likely. Some say the hospital should cut off life support because...

The case of 11-month-old Charlie Gard continues to garner international attention and pleas for his life from Donald Trump and Pope Francis. Cases like Charlie’s, while exceptional and rare, are important because they establish precedents regarding the relationship between the individual and the state. When we think about it in this way, Great Ormond Street Hospital – which has been the target of much criticism – is actually almost an incidental player.  The London children’s hospital is responding to the rules of the game -- the institutional legal structure -- and we can expect it to act according to the incentives those rules set forth.

Institutions and incentives also play a key role in creating an environment where Charlie’s case can have a happier ending -- where human ingenuity can be freed to achieve disease prevention and cure.

It’s rare for children who acquire the disease Charlie has to survive through late childhood. Experience and advances in treating the condition have been minimal, because only 16 people are known to have ever had this condition. Without treatment Charlie’s death is certain. With treatment, his death is still very likely. Some say the hospital should cut off life support...

President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris climate agreement just days ago, provoking a brouhaha over environmental policy. For those who are genuinely concerned about environmental stewardship, we can in fact do better without the UN-sponsored framework. We can generate solutions by using economic incentives to harness human ingenuity.

In 2015, the United States among nearly 200 other parties that agreed to what is commonly known as the Paris Agreement. Participating countries adopt standards to combat greenhouse gas emissions and report their progress to the other participants.  There is no measure of accountability or force beyond a country’s own commitment to reduce its emissions.

Climate change is a real phenomenon; we can track it over time.  The real question is how much has the climate changed because of modern industrialized life and how much of that change is harmful?  The other relevant question is what does the trend line look like into the future -- in other words, how worried should we be?  Once we try to get a handle on these questions, only then can we understand what to do.  We do know that  while U.S. carbon emissions are at a 25-year low, global atmospheric...

We all want to flourish. It’s part of God’s design and desire for His creation.  Part of flourishing is making the choices we face less difficult, or even eliminating difficult ways of doing things. In the modern age, part of that includes making sure our children live longer and better lives than we do. A better and more productive life includes increasing opportunities to acquire the education that suits you.  For some this is an apprenticeship, an online certification or a four-year college degree.

Most Christians would agree that more flourishing is good and that educational choice is important for us to enhance our God-given creativity.  The question over which many Christians disagree is the means for making these desires possible.  Are the tools of policy the best mechanism for increasing educational choice and quality?  Or is that better left to the market?

The debate continues but now with a new policy twist. On April 7, the state of New York passed legislation initiated and pushed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to make college “free.”  Well, not really free. The Excelsior Scholarship, as the program is known, attempts to provide free tuition to New York public universities for families making $125,000...