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Atlas Network is a nonprofit organization connecting a global network of
more than 475 free-market organizations in over 90 countries to the
ideas and resources needed to advance the cause of liberty.

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RECENT

CENTRAL ASIAN FREE MARKET INSTITUTE CONDUCTS ECONOMIC FREEDOM AUDIT AND HELPS ‘OPEN THE SKIES’

In conjunction with Central Asian Free Market Institute (CAFMI), Atlas Network recently participated in an Economic Freedom Audit of the Kyrgyz Republic. Economic Freedom Audits are designed to convey the advantages of free markets to policy reformers, using data and local knowledge to craft recommendations for policy changes th...

TTMBA ALUMNI ŽILVINAS ŠILĖNAS IS NAMED FEE’S NEW PRESIDENT

The Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) recently announced that Žilvinas Šilėnas will serve as the organization’s 11th president. With years of think tank experience under his belt, as well as a commitment to the promotion of the free market, the decision highlights an exciting transition for FEE. Previously, Šilėnas has ser...

ALAMOS ALLIANCE CONFERENCE SHOWCASES THE FUTURE OF PROSPERITY IN LATIN AMERICA

Monetary policy, interest rates, and global capital flows were key topics at Alamos Alliance XXVI, which attracted economists, academics, policymakers, and several Atlas Network partners to the prestigious annual conference that is held annually in northwest Mexico. With discussions centered around the primary theme of “Prosperi...

MEDICAL CANNABIS WIN FOR UTAH THINK TANK

Interest in medical marijuana has grown over the past few years, causing a wave of political movements and advocates working to make it legally available. Utah-based think tank Libertas Institute[https://www.atlasnetwork.org/partners/global-directory/libertas-institute] has been one of those long-standing advocates for the lega...

REGISTRATION PROJECT BECOMES TEMPLATE FOR NEW LAWS ENSHRINING PROPERTY RIGHTS IN CÔTE D’IVOIRE

Thanks to the work of Audace Institut Afrique (AIA), land ownership is no longer a hazy concept in Côte d’Ivoire. In 2016 AIA launched “Land Governance in Ivorian Villages”, a project dedicated to consolidating and publishing records of property ownership in villages throughout Côte d’Ivoire. Because of this work, new legislatio...

SUPREME COURT UNANIMOUSLY RULES AGAINST EXCESSIVE FINES

A recent ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States determined that excessive fines could not be imposed by state and local governments. The unanimous decision affirms the Excessive Fines Clause of the Eighth Amendment, which states that “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unus...

BUCKEYE INSTITUTE’S MOST RECENT WIN RAISES THE BAR FOR OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING REFORM

Earlier this year, Ohio lawmakers empowered workers in the Buckeye State with groundbreaking new legislation that reforms occupational licensing and creates new employment opportunities for thousands of workers. The Buckeye Institute’s efforts were crucial in championing this cause and bringing important reform options to the at...

CELEBRATING A LEGACY OF LIBERTY DURING ASIA LIBERTY FORUM 2019

Over 270 people gathered in Colombo, Sri Lanka for Asia Liberty Forum 2019 from Feb. 28th – Mar. 1st. Advocata Institute co-hosted this event, which provided expert commentary on how a rich history of liberty helped reduce poverty in the region, and how freedom can continue this legacy for the future.

FORGING DIALOGUE ABOUT SOLUTIONS TO POVERTY IN PUERTO RICO WITH POVERTY, INC.

An award-winning film is helping Atlas Network partner Centro para Renovación Económica, Crecimiento y Excelencia (CRECE) change the discussion about poverty in Puerto Rico. Poverty, Inc., a film by Acton Institute’s Michael Matheson Miller and featuring international development expert William Easterly, illustrates how global p...

THE THIRD MISES BOOT CAMP INDONESIA FIGHTS AGAINST PROTECTIONISM IN INDONESIA

Indonesian millennials have negative perceptions about free trades and globalization. In 2017, a survey found that amongst millennials in Indonesia, the section of the population between 17 and 29 years of age show a strong xenophobic tendency.

SPREADING THE MESSAGE OF TOLERANCE AND PROSPERITY IN AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan is one of the world’s least economically free countries, but the Afghanistan Economic and Legal Studies Organization (AELSO) has launched a new program to help build a greater understanding of the benefits of liberty and free markets. The “Tolerance and Prosperity Caravan,” is a series of conferences and roundtable d...

MÉXICO EVALÚA USES BLACK BOX PROJECT TO COMMUNICATE BUDGET NUANCES

Atlas Network’s partner México Evalúa discovered that Congress’ approved budget was different from the one enacted. In order to address this, they developed a microsite called Black Box in order to inform all Mexicans about the budget process and expenditures.

ARE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS OPEN TO THE IDEAS OF LIBERTY?

Some believe that students are being pushed into anti-liberal ideas by their peers and professors in universities across North America, and most students are simply too far gone for classical liberal organizations to make any meaningful impact. There even seems to be a crisis on campus led by anti-liberal groups whose only goal...

BIKALPA WINS 2019 ASIA LIBERTY AWARD

In Nepal, the number of organizations advocating for free-market solutions are few and far between. The country is plagued with issues of poverty, populism, and government coercion that limit the opportunity for everyday Nepali citizens to thrive. There is a massive need for an effective tool to educate Nepalis about the values...

MANNKAL ECONOMIC EDUCATION FOUNDATION WINS ASIA STUDENT OUTREACH AWARD

It can be difficult to find informative and relevant educational opportunities for young, liberty-minded Australians. True education requires more than just a class or a textbook; it requires debate and conversations with colleagues and mentors, as well as hands-on experiences that cause students to engage with ideas that really...

ASIA THINK TANK SHARK TANK 2019 CONTESTANTS ANNOUNCED FROM NEW ZEALAND, INDONESIA, NEW DELHI

Atlas Network is excited to announce the finalists of this year’s Think Tank Shark Tank — Asia competition, which is sponsored by the Smith Family Foundation and will be held during Asia Liberty Forum on Feb. 28-1 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Three think tank professionals will compete in a showcase of the region’s most exciting new p...

ATLAS NETWORK NAMES MATT WARNER PRESIDENT

Atlas Network has named Matt Warner as president, effective immediately.

LIBERTY INTERNATIONAL HEADED TO MONGOLIA IN 2019

Liberty lovers and famous libertarian activists will be gathering in the beautiful city of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from June 6–9, 2019 to discuss and celebrate freedom at the Liberty International World Conference. Hosted by Atlas Network partner Silk Road Foundation, the conference will feature a vibrant learning and networking e...

TIMBRO AUTHORITARIAN POPULISM INDEX 2019 FINDS SUPPORT FOR POPULISM STILL INCREASING IN EUROPE

The Timbro Authoritarian Populism Index (TAP) has been one of the most popular indices over the last few years. Timbro recently published its 2019 edition, tracking the status of populist movements across Europe in the past year. According to the data, 2018 was a successful year for populist parties, with over 1 in 4 European ci...

THE GREEN NEW DEAL’S SIMPLE MISTAKE

The latest science on complex adaptive systems demands that we understand wealth as a product of evolutionary processes, not government fiat.

COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION CASE STUDY: HOW TO PLAY THE LONG GAME — ACHIEVING STATE-LEVEL PENSION REFORM

In 2017, after years of sounding the alarm on Pennsylvania’s billions of dollars in state pension debt, the Commonwealth Foundation (CF) saw its hard work pay off. That’s because state policymakers came together — conservatives and progressives alike — to sign off on Act 5, a plan that is projected to save the state billions and...

LIPA TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION CASE STUDY: HOW A SMALL TEAM REPEALED CROATIA’S PROPERTY TAX

Lipa Taxpayers Association is a small shop, with just one full-time employee and a modest budget. But with grit and ingenuity it stopped Croatia’s new property tax dead in its tracks, unleashing such a powerful public backlash that Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic was forced to repeal the tax in 2017 before it was ever implemente...

MERCATUS CENTER CASE STUDY: PROVIDE A CATALYST FOR REINING IN OUT-OF-CONTROL GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS

When it comes to effecting change, the first step is knowing the facts. Sometimes change starts with a story. For the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, that story came from an unlikely source: British Columbia.

LIBERTAD Y PROGRESO CASE STUDY: RIGHTSIZING AN OUTSIZED ARGENTINIAN GOVERNMENT

How a free-market think tank challenged a long-standing culture of patriarchal government and encouraged the people of Argentina to believe in a better future through freedom and innovation.

BUCKEYE INSTITUTE CASE STUDY: RETHINKING OHIO’S ENTIRE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

In a Rust Belt swing state where “tough on crime” has been the norm for decades, one think tank has dared to challenge preconceived notions about crime, ex-offenders and why it’s so important for a state’s economy to tap into a segment of human capital that has been squandered for far too long.

AUDITING ECONOMIC FREEDOM IN CÔTE D’IVOIRE

The Fraser Institute releases its Economic Freedom of the World Index annually, which ranks every country based on the degree to which each country’s policies and institutions support economic freedom. Audace Institut Afrique (AIA), an Atlas Network partner located in Côte d'Ivoire, recently ranked 132nd in the index. While thei...

THE DIMINISHING ROLE OF THE WORLD BANK: HOW LOCAL THINK TANKS ARE LEADING THE POVERTY FIGHT

News that the World Bank’s president, Jim Yong Kim, is calling it quits to join the private sector has heightened the debate over what to do about foreign aid inefficacy. Kim made clear in an email to staff that, in his view, the “massive development finance gap” in low-income countries is best addressed by private investment. K...

‘FREE MARKETS SERIES’ SEASON 4 REACHES MILLIONS IN US AND CANADA

Montreal Economic Institute (MEI)’s Season 4 of the Free Market Series discusses and promotes classical liberal ideas through engaging talks and lessons from some of the best and brightest minds in the think tank industry. This series was made possible through support from the Smith Family Foundation.

FIGHTING POVERTY WITH OPPORTUNITY IN HONDURAS: GLOBAL POLICY PERSPECTIVES WITH ELENA TOLEDO

Last night over 75 people gathered together in New York City to hear how Elena Toledo fights for the voiceless in Honduras during the Global Policy Perspectives event: “Overcoming Poverty in Central America.” Toledo is currently the CEO of Fundación Eléutera, an Atlas Network partner in Honduras, but she didn’t start out in publ...

SMITH FELLOW SPOTLIGHT: LINDA KAVUKA

A recent alumna of the Smith Fellowship, Linda Kavuka, is African programs manager at Students For Liberty (Africa), a partner organization with coordinators located throughout Africa. She is based in Kenya and was one of the Cornerstone Talk presenters at Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner 2017, and she completed Atlas Network’s Sm...

THE DIMINISHING ROLE OF THE WORLD BANK: HOW LOCAL THINK TANKS ARE LEADING THE POVERTY FIGHT

RAINBOW@ATLAS FUND ANNOUNCED

Atlas Network is proud to announce the creation of Rainbow@Atlas, a special fund dedicated to the principles of inclusivity, tolerance, and diversity. We believe that no one should ever be excluded from participating in the benefits of liberty on the basis of gender, race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Rainbow@Atla...

BUILDING ON 40 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN REGION, ATLAS NETWORK LAUNCHES CENTER FOR LATIN AMERICA

Atlas Network’s new Center for Latin America promotes peace, justice, and opportunity for all in a region in the midst of volatile change. Building on decades of collaborative work in the region, Atlas Network will strengthen and leverage a partner network of more than 80 independent civil society organizations based in the coun...

THE JOY OF FREEDOM

It is a joy to take part in a festival of liberty, a truly liberal event. “Festival” is really the right word, because liberty is truly something to be celebrated, its realization a cause for joy and an occasion for happiness. And the occasion for happiness is not merely our own freedom, but the freedom of other people as well....

AMLO—IS MEXICO HEADED BACK TOWARD THE ROAD TO SERFDOM?

On Dec. 1, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, better known as AMLO, will become the next President of Mexico for the six-year term of 2018-2024. His stunning victory represents a watershed moment in the nation’s transition to a modern democracy. AMLO won with almost 53 percent of the popular vote; and his party, Morena, was able to ca...

CHOOSING A BIGGER POND: WHY NONPROFIT LEADERS NEED A GLOBAL NETWORK

Without profit motive, can nonprofit leaders be as innovative and successful as their profit-seeking counterparts? As it turns out, there’s a type of motivation that transcends the drive for profit and it can influence the behavior of nonprofit leaders towards improving results as well. It’s called social comparison—and research...

INSTITUTE FOR SPENDING REFORM TARGETS WASTEFUL PENTAGON SPENDING

For many in the United States, whether they be liberal interventionists or conservative defense hawks, military spending cuts are radical and fall far outside of the Overton window. In 2017, the total military expenditure by the U.S. was $610 billion, the largest in the world. The Institute for Spending Reform (ISR), an Atlas Ne...

LITHUANIAN REFORMS LOWER TAX BURDEN FOR 1.3 MILLION

In late June, the Lithuanian parliament consolidated the tax base for the country’s social security contributions and reduced the contribution rate. This reform was a part of the Lithuanian Free Market Institute’s (LFMI) project within Atlas Network’s Leveraging Indices for Free Enterprise Policy Reform, or LIFE, program. The re...

EUROPE THINK TANK SHARK TANK 2018 CONTESTANTS ANNOUNCED FROM BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA, SERBIA, AND UKRAINE

Atlas Network is excited to announce the finalists of this year’s Think Tank Shark Tank — Europe competition, which is sponsored by the Smith Family Foundation and will be held during Europe Liberty Forum from May 29-30 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Three think tank professionals will compete in a showcase of the region’s most excitin...

EASE OF DOING BUSINESS, PROPERTY RIGHTS, AND BLOCKCHAIN: ASIA LIBERTY FORUM 2018

More than 250 people from 30 countries gathered in Jakarta, Indonesia from February 10-11 for Asia Liberty Forum 2018. Hosted by Atlas Network with local co-host the Center for Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS), the conference featured several thought-provoking breakout sessions examining the trajectory of liberty, property right...

INSTITUTO MEXICANO PARA LA COMPETITIVIDAD (IMCO) WINS 2017 TEMPLETON FREEDOM AWARD

For the first time in the history of modern Mexican democracy a credible, relevant, and effective anticorruption legal infrastructure exists. It holds Mexican politicians accountable and keeps them honest from the get-go, all thanks to Instituto Mexicano para la Competitividad (IMCO)’s revolutionary “3for3” campaign. As of July...

ALEXANDRE PESEY OF INSTITUT DE FORMATION POLITIQUE WINS 2017 THINK TANK SHARK TANK COMPETITION

The winner of Atlas Network’s 2017 Think Tank Shark Tank competition is Alexandre Pesey, founder of Institut de Formation Politique (France), for his pitch to create a civic incubator (“The incubator Le Coquetier”) designed to identify, select, train, coach, and guide intellectual entrepreneurs across France. Through the project...

TEMPLETON FREEDOM AWARD WINNERS & FINALISTS

Awarded since 2004, the Templeton Freedom Award is named for the late investor and philanthropist Sir John Templeton. The award annually honors his legacy by identifying and recognizing the most exceptional and innovative contributions to the understanding of free enterprise, and the public policies that encourage prosperity, in...

PETAR ČEKEREVAC’S LIGHTHOUSE PROJECT FOR SERBIA WINS 2017 EUROPE THINK TANK SHARK TANK COMPETITION

The winner of the Europe Think Tank Shark Tank competition is Petar Čekerevac – executive manager of Libertarian Club Libek in Serbia – for his organization’s proposed Lighthouse Outlet project to establish an online media outlet bringing together the brightest libertarian minds of Serbia. The proposed online platform will serve...

THINK TANK LEADERS GATHER IN BUDAPEST TO PUSH FOR INNOVATION IN FREEDOM ADVOCACY

One of the improvised strongholds during Hungary's anti-Soviet revolution in October 1956 was the Corvin cinema in central Budapest. Here, ordinary citizens joined hometown soldiers in a spontaneous attempt to take back their government. More recently, the site served as a memorable stop and cause for reflection for a gathering...

UEFF’S WORK TO ABOLISH BAN ON SALE OF AGRICULTURAL LAND IN UKRAINE WINS 2017 EUROPE LIBERTY AWARD

A major spectacle accompanied UEFF’s submission of a constitutional complaint to the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, which was signed by 55 People’s Deputies (Members of Ukrainian Parliament). Two UEFF founders – Maryan Zablotskyy and Sergiy Fursa – publicly submitted the complaint to the Constitutional Court, joined by People’...

ATLAS NETWORK-SUPPORTED RESEARCH LINKS EASE OF DOING BUSINESS REFORMS AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION

New research supported by Atlas Network demonstrates impact of ease of doing business reforms on poverty.

OVERCOMING THE OUTSIDER’S DILEMMA: CAN PHILANTHROPISTS HELP THE DEVELOPING WORLD?

Today’s top-down, economic development aid model is unavoidably flawed. The nature of economic development requires idiosyncratic solutions that can’t be successfully designed or administered by outsiders. Instead, locally grown solutions aimed at transforming the institutional environment in favor of market growth, primarily th...

THINK TANKS IN BRAZIL, CANADA, GHANA, MEXICO, U.S. NAMED FINALISTS FOR 2017 TEMPLETON FREEDOM AWARD

Awarded since 2004, the Templeton Freedom Award is named for the late investor and philanthropist Sir John Templeton. The award annually honors his legacy by identifying and recognizing the most exceptional and innovative contributions to the understanding of free enterprise and the public policies that encourage prosperity, inn...

2017 AFRICA LIBERTY FORUM TACKLES CONTINENT’S BARRIERS TO PROSPERITY AND OPPORTUNITY

During Africa Liberty Forum 2017, more than 125 influencers and think tank professionals from 16 countries gathered to discuss the best and the brightest work breaking down the barriers to prosperity and opportunity on the continent. Sponsored by Atlas Network with organizing host the South Africa-based Free Market Foundation (F...

PROMOTING LIBERTY IN SPAIN THROUGH GRASSROOTS ACTIVISM

Spain has long had excellent think tanks that specialize in the economic aspects of freedom, and carry out the crucial work of producing high-level academic, theoretical papers. In 2015, though, a group of Spanish libertarians were concerned about the need to develop a more engaging approach toward civil society — a task that we...

POLL SHOWS THAT GREEKS TURN AWAY FROM BIG GOVERNMENT AS THEY SEEK JOBS AND GROWTH

The Greek economy has deteriorated steadily during the past eight years of unprecedented fiscal collapse, and the people may finally be fed up with big government, runaway spending, public-sector corruption, and job-killing regulations. A recent in-depth survey, published by the daily Kathimerini newspaper and the new think tank...

SLOVAKIA’S CATALYST FOR CHANGE

Modern Slovakia is like night and day compared to its years under communist rule, before the 1989 Velvet Revolution hastened the end of communist control, ultimately dissolving the Soviet Union in 1991. The nation has forged its own path since its Velvet Divorce separated Slovakia from the Czech Republic only two years after tha...

PULLING THE ANDON CORD: USING TEAMS TO MAKE DECISIONS

In the early 1980s, the workers at a General Motors plant in California had become so disillusioned with their jobs that they sometimes sabotaged the quality of the cars on purpose. The plant began to perform so poorly that the company shut it down. That failure, though, is only the first part of a great turnaround story. In a s...

ASIA LIBERTY FORUM SPOTLIGHTS EFFORTS TO REDUCE BARRIERS TO PROSPERITY IN THE REGION

Asia Liberty Forum brought together more than 225 leaders, advocates, and think tank professionals from 22 countries to explore the work being done to break down the barriers to prosperity in the region.

LFMI CASE STUDY SHOWS HOW STUDENTS ARE GETTING AN ECONOMIC EDUCATION FOR THE FUTURE

In 2002, Lithuania added economic education to its national school curriculum, mandating that 9th or 10th grade students take 31 hours of classroom study. Teachers, many of them working out of their field, struggled to make outdated textbooks relevant to their students, especially as the available material emphasized government-...

INVESTIGATORY POWERS ACT SUBJECTS UK TO DYSTOPIAN SURVEILLANCE AUTHORITY

Intelligence agencies and police in the United Kingdom have been secretly using unauthorized techniques to eradicate what they defined as online “safe spaces,” where criminals, terrorists, and paedophiles are believed to hide. In 2015, the U.K. government proposed legislation to make these techniques lawful, and ultimately passe...

INEQUALITY, LIBERTY, AND THE PURSUIT OF MOBILITY

For Christmas, our five-year-old son Sebastian wants a Hot Wheels Ultimate Garage. Our two-year-old daughter Arianna will also play with those cars, although we will continue to try to get her to like dolls. Despite these presents and all the presents in the years to come, however, my wife and I think the best present we ever co...

LITHUANIAN FREE MARKET INSTITUTE ‘ECONOMICS IN 31 HOURS’ TEXTBOOK WINS 2016 TEMPLETON FREEDOM AWARD

In high schools across the world, most students graduate without any exposure to the concepts of market economics. The Lithuanian Free Market Institute (LFMI), based in Vilnius, sought to change that by developing its Economics in 31 Hours textbook, which has been awarded this year’s prestigious $100,000 Templeton Freedom Award....

DR. TOM G. PALMER NAMED TO NEWLY ESTABLISHED GEORGE M. YEAGER CHAIR FOR ADVANCING LIBERTY

WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 10, 2016 — Dr. Tom G. Palmer has been named the George M. Yeager Chair for Advancing Liberty at Atlas Network. Palmer has devoted his life to the promotion of the common-sense principles of liberty in the United States and worldwide. He has created and taught numerous educational programs, authored and edi...

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