Acton Line

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A Closer Look at Aircraft Industrial Policy May 03, 2023

Show notes

The last time you took a commercial airline flight, odds are that you were on a plane that was manufactured by one of two companies: American-based Boeing, or French-based Airbus. Together, these two companies have almost the entire market for commercial airplanes.

A piece published recently at the website American Compass makes the argument that Airbus is a success story for industrial policy: European government decided they needed to compete with foreign manufacturers of airplanes, they made the public-money backed investments, and propelled Airbus past Boeing and others to be the world leader.

As American Compass said when publishing the piece: “According to free-market dogma, state-backed Airbus shouldn't have been able to compete with Boeing. Instead, Airbus surpassed Boeing as leading aircraft manufacturer, gaining a reputation for cutting-edge innovation. U.S. policymakers should take note.”

The American Compass piece really took off. But is really describing reality for Airbus and Boeing? Economist and Mercatus Center research fellow Veronique de Rugy says those claims need some serious grounding.

In a response to the American Compass piece published at National Review, de Rugy flies into the industrial policy headwinds and argues that while crony capitalism certainly works for the companies it benefits, but that doesn’t mean it’s good for the country.

Buckle your safety belts and secure your deployed oxygen masks, because today, Eric Kohn talks with Veronqiue de Rugy about the turbulent claim that European industrial policy to boost Airbus “worked,” the reality of massive American public subsidies to Boeing, and whether advocates industrial policy can actually bring their goals into a safe landing.

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Airbus’s Industrial Flight Plan | American Compass

A Closer Look at Aircraft Industrial Policy | National Review

When ‘Success’ Breeds (Even Bigger) Failure | The Dispatch

View From The Wing

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Free Enterprise and the Common Good Apr 26, 2023

Show notes

For this episode of Acton Line, Dylan Pahman, the editor of the Journal of Markets and Morality and a research fellow here at Acton, speaks with Alexander Salter. Salter is the author of the recent article "Free Enterprise and the Common Good,“ published at the Heritage Foundation. The article has generated a lot of buzz, particularly online, where the Salter’s ideas have been the subject of much debate.

Before delving into specific questions about the article and its reception, we start with some definitions to clear the air: What is common-good capitalism? What is the common good? And what is the difference between the "science" of economics and the "art" of political economy?

They then explore how the author's article has been perceived within the context of the Heritage Foundation's recent changes, as well as how their ideas diverge from those of other national conservative economic proposals.

They also discuss the influence of Roman Catholic social thought on the author's ideas, and the ways in which the Swiss German ordoliberal economist Wilhelm Röpke has shaped their thinking. Finally, we look at the concept of industrial policy and how it fits into the author's vision of common-good capitalism.

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Free Enterprise and the Common Good: Economic Science and Political–Economic Art as Complements | The Heritage Foundation

Photo Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Unleashing the Entrepreneur Apr 19, 2023

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For this episode of Acton Line, we’re bringing you a panel discussion from the Grand Rapids edition of the Free Market Road Show, an event the Acton Institue recently co-hosted along with the Austrian Economics Center.

In this conversation, entitled “Unleashing the Entrepreneur,” the panelists explore the theme of entrepreneurship and how it can be a key driver of economic growth and prosperity, as well as examine the challenges that entrepreneurs face, such as regulatory barriers and access to capital, and how these challenges can be overcome to unleash the full potential of a market economy.

The panelists discuss how entrepreneurs can play a crucial role in addressing societal issues and creating positive change through innovation and entrepreneurship, and on the importance of empowering individuals to take control of their own economic destinies and how this can lead to greater prosperity for all.

This panel features John Chisholm, has three decades of experience as an entrepreneur, CEO, and investor. A pioneer in online marketing research, he founded and served as CEO/Chairman of Decisive Technology (now part of Google), publisher of the first desktop and client-server software for online surveys, and Dylan Pahman, a research fellow here at Acton, where he also serves as executive editor of the Journal of Markets & Morality.

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The Mainstreaming of Marx Apr 12, 2023

Show notes

Karl Marx.

If you’re listening to this podcast, it’s unlikely that I need to explain to you who Karl Marx is. You know he’s the author of The Communist Manifesto, and the father of one of the most significant and impactful philosophical and economic theories of the late 19th and the 20th century. It would be fair for you to assume that Marx was always celebrated in the way he was throughout the 20th century, as numerous countries, like the Soviet Union, sought to put his theory into practice.

But a new research paper from Phillip W. Magness and Michael Makovi says that this common, popular understanding of Marx’s significance is wrong. They contend, and seek in the paper to demonstrate empirically, that Marx was largely dismissed as a scholar in his own time, and that he owes is outsized influence today to historical and political events, in particular the success of the Russian Revolution.

Today, Eric Kohn talks with Phil Magness about the findings in his paper, how we should properly understand the influence of Karl Marx, and what it means that his ideas seem to again be ascendent in the modern world.

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Hope and Transformation at New City Kids Apr 05, 2023

Show notes

Over the course of the last year here at the Acton Institute, we’ve been bringing in local social providers so that our staff can gain a better understanding of the critical work that they do here in the Grand Rapids, Michigan, metro region to help alleviate poverty. Today, Eric Kohn sits down to talk with the leader of one of those social service providers, Trevor Rubingh of New City Kids.

New City Kids offers after school programming for local low-income youth. Children and teens get a chance to explore music and academics in a creative and fun environment. Though there are many challenges of urban life, especially for youth, these programs give children a safe place to feel and hear that they are valued and loved. New City Kids aims to draw children into hope by developing in them skills, talents, and desires for their future. By surrounding them with a community of love and development, we strive to set youth on a path of transformation that will carry them forward for the rest of their lives.

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New City Kids

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Unrestrained Government Spending and Economic Prosperity Mar 29, 2023

Show notes

For this episode of Acton Line we’re bringing a panel discussion from the Free Market Road Show - Grand Rapids, a recent special event we hosted here at the Acton Institute in conjunction with the Austrian Economics Center.

There is no need to describe the many problems and crises of our time. But there is a great need to look at the causes and to refute the simplified and politically opportune explanations. Only if we know exactly what the problems are and how they arose will we be able to find the right solution. New standards have come into force in almost all areas of policy and they are changing our lives, sometimes noticeably, sometimes surreptitiously, but often permanently.

This discussion centers on the problem of Unrestrained Government Spending and Economic Prosperity. The conversation features Dr. Barbara Kolm, Vice President of the Austrian Central Bank, and the Director of the Austrian Economics Center, Dr. Daniel Mitchell, a public policy economist based in Washington, DC, and is moderated by Dr. David Hebert, assistant professor of economics and director of the Center for Markets, Ethics, and Entrepreneurship at Aquinas College and an affiliate scholar at the Acton Institute.

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The Right’s Economic Left Turn Mar 22, 2023

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A belief in the positive power of free markets has been a part of the political and philosophical program of the political right for virtually all of the post-World War II conservative movement. While elements of protectionism, and even isolationism, have always been currents in the political right, a support for free trade and free markets has been part of the right’s dogma for years.

Now that is no longer the case.

Many have lost confidence in the country’s commitment to economic liberty. Across the political spectrum, many want the government to play an even greater role in the economy via protectionism, industrial policy, stakeholder capitalism, or even quasi-socialist policies. Numerous American political and business leaders are embracing these ideas, and traditional defenders of markets have struggled to respond to these challenges in fresh ways.

From the perspective of advocates for a free market economy, this amounts to conservatives taking a left turn on economic questions.

Why is this happening? And what can free market advocates do about this problem?

Today, Eric Kohn, Acton’s Director of Marketing & Communications talks with Dr. Samuel Gregg, Distinguished Fellow in Political Economy and Senior Research Faculty at the American Institute for Economic Research and an affiliate scholar at the Acton Institute, about the turn to the state by members of the so-called “New Right” and how arguments for a market-based economy need to be refreshed for the problems of the 21st century.

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The Next American Economy | Amazon

The hundred-year war for American Conservatism | Acton Line

Of Course You Know What "Woke" Means | Substack

FreeJimmyLai.com | The Hong Konger

Photo Credit: Associated Press

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Religious Freedom in a Secular Age Mar 15, 2023

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Religious freedom is a bitterly contested issue that spills over into political, public, and online spheres. It's an issue that's becoming ever more heated, and neither of the global political polarities is interested in protecting it. While the political left is openly hostile toward traditional religion, the political right seeks to weaponize it.

How can we ensure that "religious freedom" is truly about freedom of one's religion rather than serving an ethno-nationalist agenda?

In Religious Freedom in a Secular Age, New Testament scholar and author of “Evangelical Theology” Michael Bird has four main goals:

To explain the true nature of secularism and help us to see it as one of the best ways of promoting liberty and mutual respect in a multifaith world.
To dismantle the arguments for limiting religious freedom.
To outline a biblical strategy for maintaining a Christian witness in a post-Christian society.
To encourage Christians to participate in a new age of apologetics by being prepared to defend not only their own believes but also the freedom of all faiths.

While Bird does address the recent political administrations in the US, his focus is global. Bird—who lives in Melbourne, Australia—freely admits to his anxiety of the militant secularism surrounding him, but he also strongly critiques the marriage of national and religious identities that has gained ground in countries like Hungary and Poland.

The fact is that religion has a lot to contribute to the common good. Religious Freedom in a Secular Age will challenge readers of all backgrounds and beliefs not only to make room for peaceable difference, but also to find common ground on the values of justice, mercy, and equality.

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Religious Freedom in a Secular Age | Amazon

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Should Businesses Embrace Remote Work? Mar 08, 2023

Show notes

Should businesses allow their employees to work remotely? Almost all employers and employees have wrestled with this question. More and more job-seekers are expecting remote-work flexibility, and COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns greatly accelerated this trend. But are employees really as productive working from home? Does remote work hurt company culture? Or could hybrid or remote options make businesses more successful? David Bahnsen, Founder of the Bahnsen Group, argues that remote work should be minimized. Dr. Raj Choudhury, remote work expert at Harvard Business School, argues that businesses should embrace hybrid and remote options. This debate took place as a part of the 2023 Business Matters conference.

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Connecting Cops and Community Mar 01, 2023

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When people think of interactions between the police and the public these days, for many, the first thoughts that come to mind are of horrific incidents like the deaths of George Floyd or Brianna Taylor. Here in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where the Acton Institute is headquartered, a police officer is currently awaiting trial in the shooting death of 26-year old Patrick Lyoya.

These incidents, and the rifts they have created between members of the community and members of law enforcement, highlight some of the challenges of modern policing. How can we bridge the divide between the police, who serve and important and necessary function in our society, and the public, to whom they are ultimately responsible.

Enter iCI Nation, an organization based here in Grand Rapids that brings communities together by uniting citizens, law enforcement & community organizations to foster a healthy environment for community to build trust with law enforcement. iCI is lead by founder and executive director Jennifer Franson, who in just two years has facilitated over 100 connections with law enforcement and community building new relationships and trust. This momentum has continued to snowball as her membership has quadrupled in size and now has the FBI coming to her to ask for help building relationships with their community.

Today, Eric Kohn talks with Jenn Franson about her work, the challenges facing local law enforcement and the communities they serve, and how those obstacles to more meaningful connections between the police and the public can be overcome.

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iCI Nation

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