If you ask most people – perhaps Christians especially – what the opposite of competition is, they will suggest it … Continue reading “Competition and co-operation – a Catholic perspective”

The top: Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Finland, UK, Holland, Sweden, Canada. The bottom: Venezuela, Haiti, Turkmenistan, Somalia, North Korea, … Continue reading “Where property rights are insecure, it is the poor who suffer most”

Interestingly, Pope Francis has talked about distributive justice in an intergenerational context in relation to climate change. The argument is … Continue reading “Can government debt be justified? Distributive justice, intergenerational equity and Catholic social teaching”

Bishop Robert Byrne of Hexham and Newcastle described Laudato Si, published five years ago next week, as a “prophetic document … Continue reading “The Church, property rights and the environment”

The rise of the gilets jaunes rioters in France took many people by surprise. President Emmanuel Macron has caved in to the rioters’ demands and offered other … Continue reading “Lessons from the Gilets Jaunes”

Despite the fact that there is little evidence for this proposition, it is widely held that deregulation of financial markets … Continue reading “Must financial regulation always come from the state?”

The Vatican recently issued a letter on economic and financial matters. Quite unlike many recent communications on those issues, it … Continue reading “The best Vatican document on economics for some time”

When reflecting on an important passage in Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical, Deus Caritas Est (published on Christmas Day 2005), the … Continue reading “Britain’s housing crisis: a self-inflicted tragedy”

Pope Francis recently spoke to an Italian anti-usury group to condemn the practice of “usury,” calling for an end to exploitation and … Continue reading “Pope Francis condemns usury – but what is it?”