Pennings on the WRF

The latest Comment article in the Building Institutions series is by Ray Pennings. The subject? The Work Research Foundation itself, a unique Canadian think tank dedicated to renewing work and public life out of a biblically christian worldview. Here is something of the WRF's vision:

While the nutrient ideas we were proposing aren't really that revolutionary, neither do they neatly fit into conventional right-wing/left-wing political boxes. The ideas that inspire us include the notion that belief systems and character are not merely private, but that these forces significantly influence leadership and institutional life, and therefore need to be talked about publicly. They include the notion that institutions other than government matter, and deserve their own space to operate - without government interference. They include the notion that there are standards in addition to human rights that should govern our mutual relationships, so that not every bad cultural outcome is a problem for a Human Rights Commission to solve or for the Canadian Charterof Rights and Freedoms to govern. We believe that work is a good thing, that workers are not economic commodities, and that while economic markets must be celebrated, a market society is taking a good idea too far. We believe that wisdom, beauty, and truth are real and not simply in the eye of the beholder.