Contents:

1. ACE Annual Meetings, Atlanta, January 3-5, 2010

2. Call for Papers: Faith and Economics special issue on "Economics and Christian Reflections on Globalization."

3. On-line resources in Catholic Social Thought, Catholic Social Thought Organizations, Business and Management Education, and Faith and Work issues

4. Association for the Study of Religion, Economics and Culture

1. ACE Annual Meetings at ASSA
Atlanta, January 3-5, 2010

ACE will again sponsor two professional/paper sessions at this year's ASSA meetings, with a fellowship luncheon between the sessions. Further information about the ASSA meetings, including registration and housing materials, is available here .

Here are summary descriptions of the two sessions:

Monday January 4, 10:15 am, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Room M105
Faithful Economics

Presiding: Edd Noel, Westmont College

Sarah Hamersma, University of Florida, Matthew Kim, University of St. Thomas
" Job Lock and the Role of Public Health Insurance During Employment Transitions"

Augustin Mbemba, Morgan State University
" Fiscal Policy in Selected African Countries "

Charles McDaniel, Baylor University
"Christian Values and Financial Crisis: Distributism's Relevance to Global Economic Instability"

J. David Richardson, Syracuse University
"Entry and Exit Equilibria Among For-Profit, Not-For-Profit, and Business-as-Mission Firms"

Discussants:
Earl Grinols, Baylor University
Judy Dean, United States International Trade Commission
Edd Noell, Westmont College
John Lunn, Hope College

Monday January 4, 12:30 p.m., Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Room L503
Fellowship Luncheon
Advance reservations encouraged via email

Monday January 4, 2:30 pm, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Room M105
Understanding Religious Choices and Outcomes

Presiding: Andrew Yuengert, Pepperdine University

Carl R. Gwin, Pepperdine University, Charles M. North, Baylor University, Wafa Hakim Orman, University of Alabama-Huntsville
"Understanding Religious Choice: A Product Attributes Model Application"

Rutherford Johnson, Woosong University
"A Model of the Loss of Religious Values Following 'Excessive Affluence' and Its Potential Contribution to an Economic Crisis"

Neil R. Meredith, University of Georgia, David B. Mustard, University of Georgia
"A Postsecondary Revival"

Discussants:
Andrew Yuengert, Pepperdine University
Kim Hawtrey, Hope College
Lance Wescher, Covenant College

2. Call for Papers:
Faith and Economics special issue on
"Economics and Christian Reflections on Globalization."

Globalization is the process by which nations and local communities become more economically and culturally integrated by relatively unimpeded flows of people, capital, goods and services, and ideas. As the world has become increasingly integrated, the globe has come to resemble a single large economy, with few barriers to economic and cultural flows across international boundaries. Globalization has been praised as an engine of growth and development, and has been criticized as a destroyer of local culture and economy.

The world economy has become much more integrated over the last several decades, so globalization is no longer a startling new development; there is an ongoing Christian reflection on the topic. As far back as 1967, Pope Paul VI’s encyclical letter “On the Development of Peoples” encouraged newly developing nations to reflect carefully on the purpose of economic growth and the place of the human person in the economy. More recent reflections on the challenge of globalization include the Accra Confession of the World Association of Reformed Churches, the AGAPE process of the World Council of Churches, and a forthcoming encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI.

Faith & Economics will celebrate the publication of these recent church documents by publishing a set of essays on the economics of globalization and the Christian tradition. Although we do not want to needlessly narrow the range of approaches or topics of the essays, we are looking for contributions which bring the discipline of economics into conversation with Christian thinking on this question. The essays ought to address one or both of the following questions:

1. What are the central economic consequences of globalization that theologians should consider as they offer their reflections? Papers here can reflect on trade, migration, or flows of capital, with reference to their consequences for growth, changes in poverty and inequality, economic institutions, and overall standard of living. Of particular interest are papers that address published theological reflections from one or more Christian traditions. Though it is not necessary that a paper make a significant contribution to the economics of globalization per se, a deep and reflective knowledge of the relevant economics literature is required.

2. What are the challenges of theological reflections on globalization for economics? Do these reflections open up new lines of inquiry for economics, or new ways of doing economics? What can economists learn from the Christian traditions about how globalization affects persons and communities? Possible questions could include, but are not limited to, theological conditions for right economic relationships, the relationship between globalization and violence, ethnic and national identity, well-being, and community institutions. Papers that are in conversation with published theological reflections, but which are written for an audience of economists, are of particular interest.

ASREC (not affiliated with ACE, but potentially of interest to ACE members) manages the annual Religion, Economics and Culture October conferences in conjunction with the annual meetings of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion and the Religious Research Association, and also promotes a variety of other activities.

For further information, contact Larry Iannaccone or Carrie Miles (see below), or consult the organization's website.The organization operates in association with the George Mason University Center for the Economic Study of Religion.

Laurence R. Iannaccone
Koch Professor of Economics
George Mason University
Email: click here

Carrie A. Miles
Associate Director, Center for the Economic Study of Religion
George Mason University
Email: click here