Books published by Acton Institute

Creative destruction is a long-recognized and accepted feature of a dynamic market economy. But can this destruction go too far? Should there be no limit to the number of jobs, families, and even entire communities that are sacrificed for the sake of greater economic production and efficiency? Could it be, as some critics claim, that a drastic fettering of markets is the only solution?Michael Watson and Grattan Brown acknowledge the collateral damage of markets and seek a solution that will temper negative effects without constricting the economic vitality needed for the continued amelioration of material deprivation in our world. Placing remunerative work at the center of their analysis, they identify a promising reform: flexible wage rates. They make the case that permitting compensation to mirror the market more closely will preserve employment, empower workers, and minimize the impact of economic volatility. Understanding that the common good is served by both economic dynamism and family and community stability founded on stable employment, Watson and Brown recommend flexible-wage policies as the best way forward.

The Call of the Entrepreneur Study Guide examines several core themes of the documentary, including the pernicious effects of zero-sum-game thinking, the role of entrepreneurs in creating new wealth, the risk-taking element of enterprise, and the role of limited government, property rights, the rule of law, and free markets in unleashing the wealth-creating capacity of entrepreneurs.The Study Guide touches on some topics that are beyond the scope of the film, in particular the role of Judeo-Christian thought in the rise of capitalism and the lessons that the Bible offers for the entrepreneur as entrepreneur. It includes a discussion of human beings as "co-creators" made in the image of God.

Nobel laureate Friedrich Hayek once warned that “the economist who is only an economist is likely to become a nuisance if not a positive danger.” As an economist and theorist of liberalism, Wilhelm Röpke was acutely aware of this danger. His combined commitments to sound economic analysis, the importance of social institutions, and the moral and religious framework of the Christian tradition make him a unique figure in the history of economic and social thought. This anthology, through carefully chosen selections from Röpke’s writings, introduces the contemporary reader to this most humane economist and theorist of the free and virtuous society.

The question of whether Catholicism is compatible with the American project in liberal democracy remains contentious. Many contemporary Catholic writers and intellectuals answer in the negative. In this volume, Professor John Pinheiro brings historical expertise to the topic, assessing the merits of the American project by focusing on the founding period. He examines the views of the founders and the realities of early American culture in light of the principles of Catholic social teaching and finds no simple answer to the question of Catholic and American compatibility. For the American experiment was not the realization of an ideological agenda; instead, it was the practical outworking of a commitment to protect traditional liberties. These liberties were largely consistent with Catholic doctrine. If the American project is not perfect, neither is it beyond redemption. Pinheiro points out that the task given to Catholics is not to raze the institutions of religious and political liberty but instead to "redeem the time" by embracing good and opposing evil in our own day.

When the early Christian author Tertullian asked what Jerusalem has to do with Athens, he could not have anticipated the intellectual, cultural, and social challenges facing Christians in the twenty-first century. But his question is no less relevant today. What does life in Christ have to do with the stuff of our daily lives-our work, education, citizenship, and behavior? What are we on earth to do? In this wide-ranging collection, J. Daryl Charles shares insights from nearly thirty years of reflecting on these and related questions. Wisdom's Work explores the earthiness of the Christian life through essays on vocation, work, ethics, education, and the calling of believers to be salt and light in the world-the real world that we inhabit every day.