Acton Line

Acton Institute
  • 4.8 (213)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Dedicated to the promotion of a free and virtuous society, Acton Line brings together writers, economists, religious leaders, and more to bridge the gap between good intentions and sound economics. 

  1. 3D AGO

    Dave Hebert Rings in 2026 by Analyzing America’s Economy

    In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Dave Hebert, a senior research fellow at AIER and an affiliate scholar here at the Acton Institute, about the state of the American economy, economic policy, and how American politics on both the left and the right is increasingly economically illiterate. How is the U.S. economy doing? What is the relationship between the stock market and the economy as a whole? Can politicians really make things more affordable for ordinary people? Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here Trump Credits ‘Mister Tariff’ for the Country’s Strength. Economists Beg to Differ. What to Know About the Criminal Investigation of the Fed Chair China Announces Record Trade Surplus as Its Exports Flood World Markets Fixing Affordability Isn’t Easy. Here Are Four Suggestions. A Lack of Affordability Is a Supply Side Issue 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.

    49 min

  2. JAN 14

    Isaac Willour Is Helping Corporate America Move on from ESG

    In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Isaac Willour, an analyst at Bowyer Research, America's leading pro-fiduciary proxy consulting firm, about all things ESG, an investing principle that prioritizes environmental issues, social issues, and corporate governance. What is ESG and how does it influence corporate governance and investment? What moral responsibilities do shareholders have in corporate governance? How do large state pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and institutional investors fit into the world of ESG? What is the role of consumers and political polarization in driving corporate activism? Are right-wing and left-wing corporate activists two sides of the same coin? Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here Who Benefitted from DEI Initiatives? | Acton Line Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation | Business Roundtable Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia—CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: Annual Summary of Engagements with Corporations 2024–25 Bowyer Research David Bahnsen: My Speech at the Gilead Sciences Shareholder Meeting 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.

    1h 4m

  3. JAN 7

    Dylan Pahman Breaks Down the History of Economic Thought

    In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Dylan Pahman, research fellow at the Acton Institute and founder and president of the St. Nicholas Cabasilas Institute for Orthodoxy & Liberty, about his account of the history of economic thought found in his new book, The Kingdom of God and the Common Good: Orthodox Christian Social Thought (Ancient Faith, 2025). What is the Christian prehistory of economics? How do moral questions inform the work of the classical political economists? Why does modern economics distance itself from moral questions? Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here The Kingdom of God and the Common Good: Orthodox Christian Social Thought | Dylan Pahman Dylan Pahman Is Starting the Conversation on Orthodox Christian Social Thought | Acton Line From Christian Political Economy to Christian Socialism | 2nd Annual Academic Colloquium The Mainstreaming of Marx: Measuring the Effect of the Russian Revolution on Karl Marx’s Influence | Phillip W. Magness and Michael Makovi History of Economic Analysis | Joseph A. Schumpeter 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.

    55 min

  4. JAN 5

    Acton Rundown | January 2026

    This month on the Acton Rundown Dan & Mark chat about upcoming Acton events and new video content. Winter 2025 Religion & Liberty: Why Orwell Still Matters by John Rodden   Video content: Stephanie Slade Is Chronicling the New Right Peter Boettke Is Teaching the Humanistic Foundations of Austrian Economics Rev. Robert A. Sirico Responds to Jimmy Lai's Guilty Verdict #freejimmylai Stephen Barrows Explains the Jimmy Lai Verdict Acton Institute's 2025 Christmas Message Father Robert Sirico on What Christmas Is All About Kris Mauren Is Thinking About Think Tanks   Upcoming events: Entrepreneurship and the Economy in Uncertain Times Chicago Luncheon Acton University 2026 | Acton Institute

    9 min

  5. 12/31/2025

    Kris Mauren Is Thinking About Think Tanks

    In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Kris Mauren, co-founder and president of the Acton Institute, about all things Acton. What was the original, animating idea behind the founding of the Acton Institute? Why a think tank? What makes Grand Rapids so grand? What are the greatest challenges Acton faces in fulfilling its mission? What new initiatives should viewers be on the lookout for? Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here Acton Institute Sources in Early Modern Economics, Ethics, and Law (First Series) Sources in Early Modern Economics, Ethics, and Law (Second Series) Journal of Markets & Morality Makers of Modern Christian Social Thought The History of Freedom | Lord Actonnotes 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.

    36 min

  6. 12/24/2025

    Father Robert Sirico on What Christmas Is All About

    In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Father Robert Sirico, co-founder and president emeritus of the Acton Institute, about the true meaning of Christmas. Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here A Charlie Brown Christmas | Charles M. Schulz A Christmas Carol | Charles Dickens Pied Beauty | Gerard Manley Hopkins 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.

    26 min

  7. 12/17/2025

    Stephen Barrows Explains the Jimmy Lai Verdict

    In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Stephen Barrows, chief operations officer of the Acton Institute, about the recent conviction of entrepreneur and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai, who was found guilty by a Hong Kong court on Monday in a landmark national security trial. Who is Jimmy Lai, and what is his long-standing relationship with Acton? What were the charges brought against him, and why are there reasons to doubt their fairness? How does Jimmy’s arrest, trial, and conviction show the erosion of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the rule of law in Hong Kong? What has been the reaction of the international community to the conviction? How can freedom-loving people show solidarity with Jimmy Lai? Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here Hong Kong Court Finds Jimmy Lai Guilty in National Security Trial Governments and groups condemn conviction of Hong Kong activist Jimmy Lai Rev. Robert A. Sirico Responds to Jimmy Lai's Guilty Verdict #freejimmylai The Hong Konger (documentary) The Call of the Entrepreneur (documentary) 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.

    23 min

  8. 12/10/2025

    Peter Boettke Is Teaching the Humanistic Foundations of Austrian Economics

    In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Peter J. Boettke, Distinguished University Professor of Economics at George Mason University, as well as the director of the F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, about the importance of the history of economic thought and the Austrian School of economics. Why read the classics in economics? What is the place of the Austrian School in economics today? How is the humanistic and scientific nature of the Austrian School related to political ideology and commitments? What is the prehistory of the Austrian School in the theologians and jurists of early modern Europe? How do figures in the Austrian tradition relate economics to religion? Why have GMU and Mercatus been so successful in fostering research and educating the next generation of scholars in the Austrian tradition? Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here Why Read the Classics in Economics? | Peter J. Boettke After Samuelson, Who Needs Adam Smith? | Kenneth E. Boulding Competition and Entrepreneurship | Israel M. Kirzner Human Action: A Treatise on Economics | Ludwig von Mises Mercatus Center F. A. Hayek Program Sources in Early Modern Economics, Ethics, and Law (First Series) Sources in Early Modern Economics, Ethics, and Law (Second Series) The Peaceableness Project 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.

    1h 3m
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4.8
out of 5
213 Ratings

About

Dedicated to the promotion of a free and virtuous society, Acton Line brings together writers, economists, religious leaders, and more to bridge the gap between good intentions and sound economics. 

Information

  • Creator
    Acton Institute
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    538
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 375388 - Acton Institute 2023
  • Show Website
    Acton Line

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