June 4, 2007
PRESS RELEASE
TOCQUEVILLE-ACTON: the italian think-tank
for a free and virtuous society
Tocqueville-Acton
Centre for Studies & Documentation
was founded in June,
2007 by Novae Terrae Foundation, an organisation promoting human rights, and
Catholic-Liberal Centre "Alexis de Tocqueville", created for those who share
a liberal outlook in economics but feel conservative about valuesthe. It is
an independent think-tank with a liberal and catholic approach. It
seeks to promote contact amongst scholars and followers of the works of
French intellectual Alexis de Tocqueville and English historian Lord Acton,
as well as providing a meeting point for academic professors and business
executives with an interest in philosophical, historical, epistemological,
political, economical, juridical and cultural issues, connected to the
anthropological perspective of the Church and its Social Doctrine.
The reference to Tocqueville and Lord Acton is by all means deliberate. In
fact, both these Catholic intellectuals devoted their lives to pursuing a
positive confrontation with a particular brand of liberalism, one which lays
aside the excesses of rationalism, utilitarianism and materialism in order
to emphasize its affinities with Western thought, in particular the
Jewish-Christian tradition.
The activities of the Tocqueville-Acton Centre are governed by directors
Flavio Felice, Professor of Economics and Politics at the Pontificia
Università Lateranense and general director of Novae Terrae Foundation; and
Fabio G. Angelini, who is completing his doctoral studies in
Administrative and Public Law at the Università degli Studi di Milano and is
also president of Catholic-Liberal Centre "Alexis de Tocqueville". Among
the members of the
Centre
are the
research fellows, a group of intellectuals and postgraduate
students, the majority of whom are under 35, belonging to the academic,
professional and entrepreneurial world. The Centre’s research fellows are
deeply committed to pursuing and developing political, economic and social
thought, as well as seeking to implement public policy solutions. The Centre
also promotes thought-provoking discourse amongst prominent intellectuals
and academics from the political, institutional, professional and
entrepreneurial world.
In addition to providing an area where documentation about the lives, works
and thoughts of Tocqueville and Lord Acton is collected, the
Centre
promotes a space for a comprehensive contribution to public discussion, in
order to promote knowledge and awareness in the fields of market
competition, economic development, environment, energy, liberalisation and
privatisation, finance and public accounts, media and information,
technology and innovation, welfare and political-institutional reforms.
For this reason, the Centre invites those who share such interests to engage
in the debate over the above-mentioned issues with their own reflections and
writings.
In conjunction with its research interests, which are aimed primarily at
reaching out to Italian politics and formulating alternatives for public
policy, the Centre holds seminars and conferences where the academic,
professional-entrepreneurial and political-institutional worlds can meet.
The Centre is also strongly committed to didactic and cultural activities,
forming young scholars and intellectuals, and encouraging young
professionals and academic students to reach a high standard of excellence.
With this aim, the Centre promotes the yearly Scuola di Alta Formazione
Politica "Luigi Sturzo" and periodically hosts the Tocqueville-Acton
Lectures, given by well-known members of the academic, entrepreneurial
and political world.
Flavio Felice
Fabio G. Angelini Tocqueville-Acton +39 348.0349131
Centro Studi e Documentazione
www.cattolici-liberali.com
[email protected]
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