Christian Social Teaching

Global Demography, Fiscal Collapse, Government Spending and Debt

AUSTRIAN ACADEMY 2023: Demographic changes and increasing public sector over-indebtedness are making the welfare state increasingly unfinanceable. Can such fiscal overstretch be sustainable? A stocktaking from a British perspective.

Socially Unjust Inflation: Why Recessions Are Inevitable and Salutary

Inflation is profoundly socially unjust. Its causes lie above all in an expansionary monetary policy, and this must be stopped. If policymakers want to prevent the inevitable recession that will follow, they will only make the problems worse.

Do We Need a ‘Great Reset’, or More Capitalism?

For many, capitalism needs to be reinvented. And yet it proved to be robust, innovative and enormously successful, especially during the pandemic. Thus, the idea of a “Great Reset” merely serves familiar anti-capitalist prejudices.

Freedom to Choose: A Cure for Illiberal Education

Attempting neutrality in public education ends up creating a systemic preference for a particular ethical standpoint. This creates a tension between public schools and the principle of liberal neutrality. This tension can be resolved without abandoning government-financed education through policies that are both popular and effective.

The Universal Destination of Goods and Private Property: Is the right to private property only a “second-tier” natural right?

Did the rich get rich by robbing the poor? Theology and Catholic social teaching have long known that wealth generation is not a zero-sum game, but a process from which everyone benefits.

Is the Pope Calling for a Universal Basic Income?

Pope Francis never called for a “universal basic income” as a new socio-political model. He asked for financial assistance for those on the margins who have been harmed by the quarantine. Even so, the idea of a “basic income” is only feasible, if at all, in a country with strong protection of property rights and a market economy.

Capitalism is Good for the Poor – and for the Environment

The wealth-creating dynamic of capitalism remains widely misunderstood. Few know that it is also the solution to our environmental problems. The imbalance of capitalism today, on the other hand, is caused by politics.

The Entrepreneur’s Responsibility Is to Succeed as an Entrepreneur

From a “man of the church” one usually expects (besides friendly praise for the work of the entrepreneur) the admonition that entrepreneurs should not merely strive for profit, but always

How Much State Does a Just Society Need?

The title question I was asked, “How much state does a just society need?” assumes that a just society requires a superior power—the state. The question is about “how much

Market Capitalism and Christian Social Ethics: A Contradiction?

Capitalism and free markets are widely considered to be incompatible with Christian social ethics. At a closer look, however, market capitalism turns out to be the economic order most consistent with the basic principles of Christian ethics.

The Labor of Capital: How Wealth is Created

The Catholic Church’s mistrust of free entrepreneurship is an old phenomenon. At its origin is the idea of antagonism between “Labor and Capital”, rooted in the influence of Marxist doctrine. It is time to leave this misleading dichotomy behind.

Catholic Social Teaching: Out of Touch with Economic Thought

Human history is deeply marked by mass poverty. This was only overcome by the capitalistic industrial revolution. Catholic ethicists and theologians would be wise to learn about the economic factors that have lifted people out of poverty and continue to increase the general standard of living.