Overview
Distributism is a political and economic theory under which the means of productions would be redistributed to as many people as possible, as part of an effort to decentralize power to the greatest extent possible, and to protect the rights of smaller political and economic units against the encroachments of both central government and big business. While distributists and free market advocates can find some common ground, there remain significant differences between the two groups.
On February 18, 2016, the Acton Institute hosted a debate on the topic of distributism.
Arguing in favor of distributism was Joseph Pearce, who at the time was writer-in-residence at Aquinas College in Nashville, Tenn., and the director of the college’s Center for Faith and Culture. Currently, Pearce is director of book publishing at the Augustine Institute and editor of the St. Austin Review. On the side of free markets was Jay Richards, assistant research professor in the Busch School of Business and the academic content lead for the Tuscon Project at the Catholic University of America. Acton Institute president and co-founder Rev. Robert Sirico served as the moderator of the discussion.
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