Acton Institute

The Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty is a conservative research and educational institution,^[1] or think tank, in Grand Rapids, Michigan (with an office in Rome, Italy) whose stated mission is "to promote a free and virtuous society characterized by individual liberty and sustained by religious principles." ^[2] Its work supports free market economic policy framed within Judeo-Christian morality.^[3]

History

The Acton Institute was founded in 1990 in Grand Rapids, Michigan by Robert A. Sirico and Kris Alan Mauren.^[4] It is named for the English historian, politician, and writer Lord Acton, who is popularly associated with the dictum "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."^[5] Sirico and Mauren were concerned that many religious people were ignorant of economic realities, and that many economists and businessmen were insufficiently grounded in religious principles.^[6] Sirico explains the essential link between economics and religion with reference to the institute's namesake:

Acton realized that economic freedom is essential to creating an environment in which religious freedom can flourish. But he also knew that the market can function only when people behave morally. So faith and freedom must go hand in hand. As he put it, "Liberty is the condition which makes it easy for conscience to govern."^[7]

The release in 1991 of the papal encyclical Centesimus Annus buoyed the institute at a critical time. The document provided, a year after Acton's founding, established support for the institute's economic personalism and defense of capitalism. Robert Sirico said at the time that it constituted a "vindication."^[6][8][9]

In 2002, the Institute opened a Rome office, Istituto Acton, which carries out Acton’s mission abroad.^[10] In 2004, the Institute was given the Templeton Freedom Award for its "extensive body of work on the moral defense of the free market."^[10] In 2011, the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program at the University of Pennsylvania included Acton in its list of the top 50 think tanks in the United States.^[11]

International Affiliates

The Acton Institute has built a network of international affiliations including Centro Interdisciplinar de Ética e Economia Personalista, Brazil, Europa Institut, Austria, Institute for the Study of Human Dignity and Economic Freedom, Zambia and Instituto Acton Argentina Organization^[12].

These are independent organisations that share the same values and vission as the Acton Institute. Acton works with these organisations to help spread this shared belief of a free and virtuous society to their countries within their own context.

Conferences and events

The Acton Institute hosts programs throughout the world for business, educational, and religious leaders.^[13][14] These programs take various forms and include:

• Acton University: Acton's annual conference in Grand Rapids is its largest and most international event (participants from from 70 different countries).^[14] The conference is focused on the convergence of philosophy, theology, and economics in the intellectual foundations of a free society.^[6][15][16]

• An annual dinner in Grand Rapids: Past speakers have been business leaders, political commentators, and Justices of the Supreme Court—Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, Sir John Templeton, Bob McTeer, Charles Colson, John Stossel, Michael Medved, Dick DeVos, and Sirico's brother, actor Tony Sirico, have all spoken.^{[10][13][17][18]}

• Centesimus Annus Conference Series: Nine conferences were held in Rome and Poland in 2006 to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's encyclical.^{[19][20][21][22]}

• "Toward a Free and Virtuous Society" conferences: Seminars that apply social justice principles to economics; held several times a year since the institute's founding for future religious leaders.^[23]

• Acton Lecture Series: Ongoing lecture series which brings Acton's research fellows and guests to a local audience. Past speakers include Russell Kirk, William F. Buckley, Jr., Avery Cardinal Dulles, and Michael Novak.^[24][25][26]

Research and publications

From its guiding principles and economic research, the institute publishes books, papers, and periodicals, and maintains a media outreach effort.^[1][14]

• Journal of Markets & Morality:

Internationally renowned peer-reviewed journal that explores the intersection of economics and morality from scientific and theological points of view. Published semi-annually.^{[1][27][28][29]}

• Monographs:

In-depth treatments of specific policy issues and translations of scholarly works previously unpublished in English.^[14][29][30]

• Abraham Kuyper Translation Project:

In 2011, the institute began a collaboration with Kuyper College to translate into English the three-volume work Common Grace (De Gemene Gratie in Dutch) of politician, journalist and Reformed theologian Abraham Kuyper. The work, written from 1901-05 while he was Prime minister of the Netherlands, addresses the advance of both Marxism and libertarianism from an ecumenical Christian viewpoint as part of an effort to build a "constructive public theology" for the Western world.^[31][32] The first volume of the translation, Wisdom and Wonder: Common Grace in Science and Art, was unveiled in November, 2011.^[33]

• Religion & Liberty:

Quarterly publication which covers the interworking of liberty and morality: contains interviews, book reviews, scholarly essays, brief biographies of central thinkers, and discussions of important topics.^[8][29]

• Catholic High School Honor Roll:

Since 2004 the institute has maintained a Catholic High School Honor Roll in order to recognize schools which maintain academic excellence, a Catholic identity, and strong civic education.^{[34][35][36][37]}

• The Samaritan Guide:

Through 2008, the institute gave an annual Samaritan Award to a "highly successful, privately funded charity whose work is direct, personal, and accountable."^[38] The Samaritan Guide was produced to encourage effective charitable giving by establishing a rating system for charities considered for the Samaritan Award.^[39]

• Acton Notes:

The bimonthly newsletter of the Acton Institute; contains reports of projects and goings on at the institute.^[40]

• The Acton PowerBlog:

Since April 2005 the institute has provided a synthesis of religion and economics on its blog.^[41]

Notable individuals associated with the Acton Institute

Besides Sirico, notable scholars associated with the institute include Anthony Bradley.^[42] The institute's director of research is Samuel Gregg, author of the prize-winning book The Commercial Society.^[43] Notable members of the institute's board of directors or board of advisors include Leonard Liggio, Michael Novak, and Steve Hanke.^[44]

Funding

The institute has never sought government funding for its work.^[6] As of 2007, the Institute had received funding from the Earhart Foundation and the Bradley Foundation.^[29][45]

See also

• American Enterprise Institute
• Atlas Economic Research Foundation
• Cato Institute
• Ethics and Public Policy Center
• The Heritage Foundation
• Hoover Institution
• Mackinac Center for Public Policy
• Manhattan Institute
• Ludwig von Mises Institute
• State Policy Network
• Witherspoon Institute

Notes

External links

• Acton Institute web site
• Acton PowerBlog
• Acton Institute's official Facebook page
• Acton Institute's YouTube channel