Acton Line

In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Nathan Mech, Founding Director of the Collins Center for Abrahamic Heritage at the Acton Institute. They discuss the history and work of the Collins Center. What makes up the Abrahamic heritage? Why is dialogue between Christians, Jews, and Muslims important? How does interreligious dialogue enrich participants from different faith traditions? What contributions have different faiths made to the history of freedom? Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here Collins Center | Acton Institute Collins Center: Christianity and Liberalism DEBATE: Yasir Qadhi vs. Mustafa Akyol | Islam and the State DEBATE: Sebastian Morello vs. Kevin Vallier | Christianity and the State Early Islam and the Birth of Capitalism | Benedikt Koehler Nathan the Wise: A Dramatic Poem in Five Acts by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing | Project Gutenberg If you’d like to support this podcast, you can help by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. If you have questions or suggestions for a future episode, you can email us at podcast@acton.org.

In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Clara Piano, visiting assistant professor of economics at the University of Mississippi and an affiliate scholar at the Acton Institute. Clara tells the story of how Fr. Robert Sirico, along with Pope St. John Paul II and Michael Novak, inspired her to start thinking through the moral case for the free economy as an undergraduate as well as her trajectory as a scholar. How is the idea that markets are opposed to morality historically naive? Who is doing great research today exploring the relationship between markets and morals? How do you bring your research and values into the classroom? How should religious leaders understand the relationship between morals and markets? What should young people consider when discerning their professional calling and forming relationships and families? Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here Clara E. Piano Economics as an Antidote to Envy | Clara E. Piano The Economics of the Parables | Fr. Robert Sirico Defending the Free Market: The Moral Case for a Free Economy | Fr. Robert Sirico Business as a Calling: Work and the Examined Life | Michael Novak Centesimus Annus (1 May 1991) An Economic Theory of Economic Analysis: The Case of the School of Salamanca | Clara Jace Dylan Pahman | Acton Institute The Political Economy of Distributism | Alexander W. Salter Hannah's Children | Catherine Ruth Pakaluk Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church The Fertility Gap and Economic Freedom | Clara E. Piano If you’d like to support this podcast, you can help by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. If you have questions or suggestions for a future episode, you can email us at podcast@acton.org.

Jenna Robinson, President of the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, dives into the crises facing higher education today. She explores the balancing act of funding, the role of universities in preparing students for real-world careers, and the importance of civic education. Robinson highlights the need for reinventing general education requirements and discusses the potential of AI in enhancing academic experiences. She also critiques the ideological bias in academia and emphasizes the necessity of preserving cultural heritage in education.

Samuel Gregg, President at the American Institute for Economic Research, shares insights on the life of Michael Novak, a pivotal figure in Catholic thought and capitalism. They discuss the evolution of Catholic identity in 20th-century America and Novak's journey from journalist to public intellectual. Key topics include Novak's ideological shift from liberalism to a capitalist perspective, his critiques of liberation theology, and his lasting influence on the Acton Institute, enriched with personal anecdotes that highlight his passionate engagement with faith and economics.

In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Dave Hebert, a senior research fellow at AIER and an affiliate scholar here at the Acton Institute. They discuss the American economy from all angles. What do the latest GDP numbers mean in the real economy? Why are the new tariffs announced by the White House troubling? How does the Bureau of Labor Statistics do its job—and are the latest jobs numbers “rigged”? Will new tariff revenue put a dent in the national debt? What are the economic consequences of erratic policies, undermining of the legitimacy of economic data, and suspicion of the science of economics by policymakers? Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here David Hebert | AIER No Jibbering | Dave Hebert | Substack Trump Administration Updates: White House Announces Sweeping New Tariffs for Much of the World | The New York Times Economy Updates: After a Weak Jobs Report, Trump Fires That Agency’s Commissioner | The New York Times U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics David Bahnsen on the State of the U.S. Economy Oren Cass Has Learned Just Enough Economics to Be a Nuisance | RealClearMarkets The Devil Went Down to Wall Street | Dan Hugger If you’d like to support this podcast, you can help by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. If you have questions or suggestions for a future episode, you can email us at podcast@acton.org.

This month on the Acton Rundown: Dan and Mark chat about upcoming Acton events and announce two new affiliate scholars. Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here Acton’s 2025 Emerging Leaders Marcel van Hattem on the Fight for Freedom in Brazil Why I Slept on the Streets for a Year – Religion & Liberty Online Why Brazil?: Pursuing Freedom in the Americas: Berlanza, Lucas, Catharino, Alex, Pinheiro, John C: 9798218700645: Amazon.com: Books 2025 Pittsburgh Dinner | Acton Institute Acton's 35th Annual Dinner | Acton Institute The Heart of a Machine: Technological Threats to Liberty in Adam Smith and Beyond The Meaning of Work: What Skilled Trades Can Teach About Forming Workers of Character Silicon Valley Revival? If you’d like to support this podcast, you can help by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. If you have questions or suggestions for a future episode, you can email us at podcast@acton.org.

On today’s episode, Noah Gould, Acton’s Alumni and Student Programs manager, speaks to three members of the Emerging Leaders Program. The Acton Emerging Leaders Program is an 8-week leadership-development internship in Grand Rapids, Mich. The program brings together a cohort of student leaders from across the nation and around the globe for a transformative experience. During the summer, Emerging Leaders will gain professional experience, grow their network, and go deeper into the ideas of a free and virtuous society. Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here Emerging Leaders Program | Acton Institute The Use of Knowledge in Society | F.A. Hayek Intellectuals and Socialism | F.A. Hayek The Disadvantages of Being Educated | Albert Jay Nock Dining with Judas: The Limits of Culinary Diplomacy | Abigail Ingram If you’d like to support this podcast, you can help by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. If you have questions or suggestions for a future episode, you can email us at podcast@acton.org.

Kevin Vallier, a philosophy professor at the University of Toledo and associate director at the Institute of American Constitutional Thought and Leadership, brings fresh perspectives on American conservatism's fusionist tradition. He discusses the critiques of fusionism and argues for its theoretical depth. Vallier emphasizes the timeless interplay of liberty and virtue, calling for renewed philosophical dialogue to address contemporary fragmentation. He also explores the moral implications of power and the role of public spirit in governance, advocating for a blend of rigorous ethical discourse and intellectual pluralism.

In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Eric Kohn, CEO of America’s Future. They discuss just that—and what the organization Eric leads is doing to make that future a bright one. What are the ideas that animated America at its founding, and how do we best transmit them to a new generation? What are the sociological dimensions of building up the liberty movement in America? How can young people build skills and community—and have a good time doing so?Home — America's Future Writing Fellows — America's Future Gell-Mann amnesia effect | Wikipedia A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream | Yuval Levin The Internet of Beefs

In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with David Bahnsen, founder, managing partner, and CIO of The Bahnsen Group. With an ever-shifting policy environment and ever-expanding public debt, what is the state of the American economy? How have tariffs and interest rate policy affected economic growth? Why is the housing sector so crucial to the economy? What are the prospects for economic growth in the near future, and will AI revolutionize the American economy? Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here Acton University Crisis of Responsibility: Our Cultural Addiction to Blame and How You Can Cure It  | David Bahnsen Capital Record | National Review Capital Matters Two dolls instead of 30? Toys become the latest symbol of Trump's trade war | AP News The Broken Window | Frédéric Bastiat Understanding the National Debt | U.S. Treasury Fiscal Data Powell Reiterates Fed’s Wait-and-See Approach Before Cutting Rates | The New York Times “The Counter-Revolution in Monetary Theory” | Milton Friedman Abundance | Ezra Klein, Derek Thompson If you’d like to support this podcast, you can help by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. If you have questions or suggestions for a future episode, you can email us at podcast@acton.org.