ok we'll assume a few things since your making this pretty generalized..
- tires weigh the same, actually lets forget the tires....no tires, just the rims.
- all the weight is on the outside part of the rim so it's like a cylinderical shell if you will.

Ok, now.... this is a SIMPLIFIED application of theories....im only gonna give you the inertial moment of the rims you stated...keep in mind however, reality is much more complex because of weight distribution of the rim and what not, and i am not gonna do the research, not can i unless i have the equipment (and the brains )

but

for that 14" 18lb rim
882 lb*in^2

17" 13lb rim
939 lb*in^2
rotational intertia is the resistance to movement, you can say it's equivalent is mass....

so the response above was correct saying the 14" will accelerate faster...at least the tire will spin faster at least ...not to mention another plus , the force derived from the torque of that rim (smaller) will be greater too (keep in mind we still have no tire to plus or minus size it.)

 

Same reason that a lead baseball would roll down a hill faster than a hoolahoop in a vaccum (no other acting forces).

 

>>is it more important to have a lighter wheel or have a wheel with a smaller overall circumference in respect to handling and acceleration?<<

purely from an autox standpoint...

There is a specific rule of thumb for Hondas (Civics, and CRX's) in auto-x. Wheel diameter choice pretty much begins and ends at 13". Some people have had success locally using other sizes but at a national level, that is the only diameter wheel you will see being used. Among SP cars, widths vary between 7 and 9 inches, with 8 and/or 9" being most common. Prepared classes are limited to 7", hence the invention of cantilever slicks. The neat part about a 13" wheel is even a "heavy" one, like a Diamond Racing wheel only weighs about 14.5 lbs.