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What is an Entrepreneur?

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What is an entrepreneur? How does the journey to creating your own business begin? Are there certain qualities that help entrepreneurs bring their dreams into reality? And how does this all connect to human flourishing? In this episode of The Good Society series, successful entrepreneurs, economists, and business professors share both their insights and their

Judaism and the Market Economy (Engage the Speaker AU2021)

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Engage the Speaker Session for “Judaism and the Market Economy” (AU2021). Original Lecture description below. Judaism too is often enlisted in attempts to depict free market economics as exploitative, unjust, or a wrong requiring correction. Many frequently speak of Judaism as either opposed to market forces, or as seeking a balance between “capitalism” and “socialism.”

Is Democratic Socialism a Good Alternative to Capitalism? (Engage the Speaker AU2021)

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Engage the Speaker Session for “Is Democratic Socialism a Good Alternative to Capitalism?” (AU2021). Original Lecture description below. Public figures such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have fervently promoted the idea of Democratic Socialism for the last several years. But what exactly is Democratic Socialism? How does it compare with Capitalism? In this talk,

The Fire of Invention: Intellectual Property and the Power of Human Beings (Engage the Speaker AU2021)

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Engage the Speaker Session for “The Fire of Invention: Intellectual Property and the Power of Human Beings” (AU2021). Original Lecture description below. In the realm of invention and technology, what makes the difference between good and evil, prosperity and destruction, is not the material world itself but the way in which humans exercise our rational,

The Economics of Digital Currencies (Engage the Speaker AU2021)

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Engage the Speaker Session for “The Economics of Digital Currencies” (AU2021). Original Lecture description below. Ever since the first Bitcoin was first mined in January of 2009, we’ve seen an ever-growing interest in the phenomenon of blockchain—the technology upon which Bitcoin is based. Blockchain is one specific form of an innovation known as Distributed Ledger

The Case Against Economic Nationalism (Engage the Speaker AU2021)

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Engage the Speaker Session for “The Case Against Economic Nationalism” (AU2021). Original Lecture description below. Economic nationalism is surging throughout the world and is attracting supporting from right and left. This lecture outlines the basic flaws of protectionism and industrial policy, and focuses on how they undermines the economic and political dimensions of the common

Business, Government, and Economic Progress

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Public policy often shapes markets—for good or for ill. Today many are convinced that much of economic progress is attributable to the raw innovation of the private sector in a free market economy. Others claim an entrepreneurial state is essential to an innovative economy. What are we to make of state-private sector collaboration? Is it

Foundations Panel

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Join Dr. Anne Rathbone Bradley, Dr. Samuel Gregg, and Michael Matheson Miller as they engage in a Question and Answer session about Acton University’s four Foundational Lectures: 1) A Christian Vision of Government, 2) An Introduction to Natural Law, 3) The Economic Way of Thinking, and 4) A Christian Vision of the Human Person.

Education and Entrepreneurial Disruption

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An educated citizenry is fundamental to securing a free and flourishing society. Innovation, technology, and entrepreneurial endeavors are transforming education in many ways. This panel examines common myths about learning and the provision of education, highlights the great entrepreneurial efforts to improve its quality and accessibility, and explores what the future holds in providing an

Brasil Paralelo – Entrepreneurship for the Common Good

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Entertainment is an important indicator of cultural values; by looking at what the culture loves, one can deduce what principles it values. However, according to Henrique Viana, Felipe Valerin, and Lucas Ferrugem, Founders of Brasil Paralelo, entertainment can also shape a society’s culture. At Brasil Paralelo, they are working change prevailing cultural winds and point

C.S. Lewis, Law, and Liberty

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As Christians, we all agree corruption is bad. As citizens, we also agree corrupt behaviors must be punished by law. However, there are differences in how corrupt behaviors are perceived in different societies around the world, as well as in how effectively perpetrators are actually punished in every country – if punished at all. How

Reflections on Poverty and Economics with Russ Roberts

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Economists use a variety of tools to evaluate poverty and propose policy responses—typically with mixed results. In this interview, join award-winning EconTalk Podcast founder Russ Roberts as he reflects upon topics such as how the economics profession has addressed poverty, the importance of work as a means of fulfillment, and the virtue of charity as

Addressing Poverty: Foundational Principles

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How should we think about poverty and prosperity? What are the foundational principles that enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish and create prosperity in their own communities? Ismael Hernandez and Peter Greer discuss the challenge of poverty in the US and internationally and the most effective ways to think about poverty in light of

Business Matters 2021 – What is the Purpose of Business?

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Milton Friedman famously argued that the sole social responsibility of business was to create value for shareholders. This view was the predominant view for decades. In 2019, the Business Roundtable made headlines, by adopting a stakeholder capitalism model, which calls on businesses to look beyond profit maximization, and to consider other business constituents, such as

Business Matters 2021 – Doing Business in a Pandemic

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In 2019, Ezequiel Vazquez-Ger’s restaurant, Seven Reasons, was named the best restaurant in the Americas by Esquire. Hear the story of how he entered the restaurant business. He grew his business and even opened a second restaurant during the pandemic. Leaders in every industry can learn from his story of creativity, passion, and adaptation.

The Triumph of Population Growth

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Environmental alarmists often repeat the Malthusian warning that human population growth is harmful to the planet and is unsustainable. In contrast, economists are often a bit more optimistic about human population growth. This course examines the relationship between population growth and prosperity, as well as how Austrian and other pro-population economists engaged Malthusian arguments.

Understanding Globalization: Myths, Realties, and Challenges – Engage the Speaker

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This lecture provides an overview of the idea of globalization, one which challenges some of the myths surrounding this ideas, especially the myth that globalization is new. It also outlines the three primary forms assumed by contemporary globalization today, and discusses what people of faith can say about the character of globalization.

The Triumph of Population Growth – Engage the Speaker

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Environmental alarmists often repeat the Malthusian warning that human population growth is harmful to the planet and is unsustainable. In contrast, economists are often a bit more optimistic about human population growth. This course examines the relationship between population growth and prosperity, as well as how Austrian and other pro-population economists engaged Malthusian arguments.

Judaism and the Market Economy – Engage the Speaker

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Judaism too is often enlisted in attempts to depict free market economics as exploitative, unjust, or a wrong requiring correction. Many frequently speak of Judaism as either opposed to market forces, or as seeking a balance between “capitalism” and “socialism.” This class will closely examine an array of mainstream Jewish sources pertaining to economic life,

Judaism and the Market Economy

FavoriteLoadingAdd to favorites

Judaism too is often enlisted in attempts to depict free market economics as exploitative, unjust, or a wrong requiring correction. Many frequently speak of Judaism as either opposed to market forces, or as seeking a balance between “capitalism” and “socialism.” This class will closely examine an array of mainstream Jewish sources pertaining to economic life,

Is Democratic Socialism a Good Alternative to Capitalism?

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Public figures such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have fervently promoted the idea of Democratic Socialism for the last several years. But what exactly is Democratic Socialism? How does it compare with Capitalism? In this talk, much discussion will revolve around the differences between centralized and decentralized resource allocation. Additionally, the oft-mentioned example of

Is Democratic Socialism a Good Alternative to Capitalism? – Engage the Speaker

FavoriteLoadingAdd to favorites

Public figures such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have fervently promoted the idea of Democratic Socialism for the last several years. But what exactly is Democratic Socialism? How does it compare with Capitalism? In this talk, much discussion will revolve around the differences between centralized and decentralized resource allocation. Additionally, the oft-mentioned example of

Cronyism and Corporate Welfare

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Income Inequality remains a pressing social and political issue in domestic and international politics. Market-based economies ensure that everyone regardless of status, political affiliation, race or gender have an opportunity-based society where they can only grow rich when they serve others. Corporate Welfare distorts the incentives of markets by inducing a culture of favoritism, public-private

Poverty in America

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Robert Doar explores the history and future trajectory of welfare policy in America. Weaving together personal anecdotes and statistical insights, he explains the significant progress that has been made to alleviate poverty in past decades. At the same time, he maps out many of the obstacles still standing in the way of further advances. Developed

Uber and the Social Good

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Who benefits from ride-sharing services like Uber? Certainly the drivers and riders benefit. But are there benefits that accrue to society more generally when such smart-phone driven services enter a city for the first time? And how much government oversight is necessary to protect riders? The talk will comment on how these findings apply in

The Economic Ways of Loving

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To be economically literate requires neither formal training nor advanced study. For those with the inclination, the most valuable economic principles can be understood with just a little nurturing of the so-called “economic way of thinking.” In this lecture, Sarah Estelle, Ph.D. shares how she sees the economic way of thinking as instructive in some

How Ice Got to India

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The year is 1837. Imagine that you live in Calcutta and a man with a thick Boston accent offers you some ice cream. There is no such device as a refrigerator, much less a freezer, and yet here is a man offering you a cold (and delicious) treat. How did it get there? In this