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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...

INSTITUTE FOR JUSTICE RETURNS TO CONNECTICUT TO DEFEAT EMINENT DOMAIN ABUSE

More than a decade ago, the U.S. Supreme Court shocked the nation when it upheld the condemnation of an entire neighborhood in New London, Conn., for “economic development.” This infamous instance of eminent domain abuse sparked a nationwide backlash: 44 states reformed their laws to provide greater protection for property owner...

THE PROSPERITY STATES INITIATIVE: A POLICY LESSON FROM ‘WHEN HARRY MET SALLY’

According to various reports recently published by the Cato Institute, the Fraser Institute in Canada, the Legatum Institute in London, the Liberal Institute in Switzerland, and the Heritage Foundation, the United States clearly no longer ranks among the top 10 freest countries in the world. At best, we are among the top 20, alt...

THINK TANKS IN ISRAEL, LITHUANIA, SWEDEN, U.S. NAMED 2016 TEMPLETON FREEDOM AWARD FINALISTS

Atlas Network is pleased to present the six finalists for the 2016 Templeton Freedom Award. The award is generously supported by Templeton Religion Trust and will be presented during Atlas Network’s Freedom Dinner on Nov. 10 in New York City at the historic Capitale. The winning organization will receive a $100,000 prize, and th...

ISRAEL CENTER FOR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC PROGRESS NAMED FINALIST FOR 2016 TEMPLETON FREEDOM AWARD

Despite more than 30 years of economic reforms that have helped transform Israel, its economy remains saddled with bureaucracy and regulation that make life difficult and expensive. The economic reform campaign developed by the Israel Center for Social and Economic Progress (ICSEP), based in Mevaseret Zion, has been named one of...

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS ON FEAR AND FREEDOM

People raised in different circumstances often show different attitudes toward potential dangers. If you’ve never been near the water or learned how to swim, lakes, rivers, and oceans probably seem quite terrifying. Those who can swim generally see rivers, lakes, and oceans differently. Such different experiences may lead to dif...

WHY MOVIES MATTER (AND WHY WE SHOULD WRITE SOME GOOD ONES)

We are the stories we tell. And we are the stories we believe. In 1978, when Superman hit the big screen, we believed a man could fly. In 2016, when Batman met Superman, we believed a man wouldn’t want to. What happened in 38 short years?

APPLICATIONS FOR ‘PROJECT ARIZONA 2019’ NOW OPEN

Wedding political theory and practice is no easy task, especially for those from countries unfamiliar with the tradition of liberty. Fortunately, two Atlas Network partners, Language of Liberty Institute (LLI) and Freedom and Entrepreneurship Foundation (FEF) have successfully united the two through Project Arizona (PA).

INSTITUTE FOR SPENDING REFORM TARGETS WASTEFUL PENTAGON SPENDING

NEARLY 700 ATTEND THE SECOND-EVER FEECON

The inspiration, organization, and discussion necessary for a global freedom movement require a vibrant, active community. The inspiration, organization, and discussion necessary for a global freedom movement require a vibrant, active community. Atlas Network partner Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) hosted yet another suc...

LITHUANIAN REFORMS LOWER TAX BURDEN FOR 1.3 MILLION

BIKALPA, AN ALTERNATIVE REACHED OVER 500 STUDENTS WITH THEIR FREE MARKET SERIES

In the last 28 years, Nepal has changed its government 25 times, culminating with the election of the Communist Party Alliance in 2017. Despite this tenuous stability, populism and broader illiberal sentiments crowd out entrepreneurial innovation in the country. To help light the spark of free enterprise, Atlas Network partner B...

VILNIUS SFL DISCUSSES DRUG POLICY IN LITHUANIA

After the 2017 election in Lithuania, the country saw an increased crackdown on the use of drugs. Being caught with a small amount of marijuana among friends can lead to a distribution charge and 2–8 years of imprisonment. Vilnius Students for Liberty (Vilnius SFL) is looking to change public opinion concerning Lithuania’s drug...

TAXPAYERS PROTECTION ALLIANCE SEEKS SUPPORT FOR IGOWATCH

Many Atlas Network partners fight bureaucracies at home, but few target the international bureaucratic machine. The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) has recently launched International Governmental Organization (IGO) Watch, a coalition of pro-liberty non-profit groups demanding more accountability and transparency from global...

AWARD-WINNING INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE BOOK EXAMINES CHINA’S ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION

The Independent Institute has been active for over 30 years and presents a forward-looking, optimistic, and solutions-oriented vision in its work. In its many publications it seeks to reach communities of impact with real solutions to the problems of limited economic freedom and overbearing government. Its latest effort is the b...

LIBERTAD Y DESAROLLO DISCUSSES IMMIGRATION IN CHILE

Nearly one million immigrants live in Chile, making up almost 5.5 percent of the country’s population. Chile's immigration laws, most of which were passed in 1975, are struggling to keep up. To help ease the situation, Libertad y Desarollo (LyD, Freedom and Development), an Atlas Network partner based in Santiago, is advocating...

LIFE CASE STUDY: PERU’S PEOPLE’S CHAMPION CONNECTS A NATION ONE INFRASTRUCTURE REFORM AT A TIME

The Leveraging Indices for Free Enterprise Policy Reform, or “LIFE,” project was designed to promote policy reforms that demonstrably move the needle on economic policy, measured by marginal change in a specific prominent ranking or index. Such indices include the Doing Business Index by the World Bank Group, the Economic Freedo...

LIFE CASE STUDY: INDIA’S POLICY RUDDER NAVIGATES MARKET REFORM WATERS IN WORLD’S LARGEST DEMOCRACY

LIFE CASE STUDY: SLOVAKIA’S BRAINTRUST FUELS CENTRAL EUROPE’S CROSS-PARTISAN MARKET LIBERALIZATION

LIBEK’S SEVENTH PUBLIC POLICY ACADEMY CLASS GRADUATES

Serbia, like many European countries, is plagued by economic misconceptions espoused by populists. Several Atlas Network partners are confronting illiberalism throughout Europe, and on June 16, Libertarian Club Libek — a partner based in Belgrade, Serbia — celebrated the graduation of 21 students from its two-semester-long Publi...

LITTLE-KNOWN ‘BRANCH 23’ A VEHICLE TO EXERT POLITICAL CONTROL OVER MEXICAN STATES

México Evalúa, an Atlas Network partner based in Mexico City, is a civil society organization that monitors the Mexican government’s operation in order to raise the quality of public policy outcomes. Its recent study, “The Architecture of Branch 23,” used data analysis — along with eight state-level case studies — and found that...

FIRE SURVEY REVEALS STUDENT SUPPORT FOR DUE PROCESS

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), an Atlas Network partner, has released a new survey, “Proceeding Accordingly: What Students Think about Due Process on Campus". This new survey brings to light students’ overwhelming support for due process.

NEW STUDY FINDS FRANCE AND GERMANY TO HAVE MOST RESTRICTIVE DIGITAL TRADE POLICY IN EUROPE

A new and groundbreaking index reveals that many leading economies put significant restrictions on digital trade, driving up costs for businesses and consumers. The European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE), an Atlas Network partner based in Brussels, has released a new Digital Trade Restrictiveness Index (DTRI...

‘NANNY STATE INDEX 2018: EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT EDITION’ TRACKS PATERNALISM ON THE CONTINENT

The European Policy Information Center (EPICENTER) recently released a special edition of their popular Nanny State Index. The Nanny State Index 2018: European Parliament Edition tracks paternalistic regulations that the European Parliament has introduced in its current and previous legislative sessions.

‘ECONOMIC LESSONS FOR THE YOUTH’ REACHES OVER 5,000 POLISH STUDENTS

Two Atlas Network partners, the KoLiber Association and the Mises Institute of Economic Education, run the “Economic Lessons for Youth” program in Poland. This year, the program partnered with Prosta Ekonomia (Simple Economics) and reached over 5,400 students with their 6-lesson course on Austrian economics.

BECKET FUND AWARDS 2018 CANTERBURY MEDAL TO RABBI DR. MEIR SOLOVEICHIK

The Becket Fund named Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik the 2018 recipient of the Canterbury Medal, its highest honor for religious liberty. Becket, an Atlas Network partner, is a non-profit, public interest legal and educational institution that defends the free expression of all religious traditions. Over 550 people celebrated Rabbi...

JANUS V. AFSCME DECISION ENDS COMPELLED UNION DUES FOR PUBLIC EMPLOYEES

Today the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Janus v. American Federation of State, Country, and Municipal Employees, Council 31 (AFSCME) that non-union workers cannot be forced to pay fees to public sector unions. Almost 5.5 million workers across 22 states are now free to choose whether to pay union fees. This landmark case some spect...

ISTITUTO BRUNO LEONI’S CONFERENCE DISCUSSES POTENTIAL OF ‘BIG DATA’ IN ITALY

In Italy, finding new ways to harness big data could drive the country’s economic future. As data-processing software has become more efficient, firms are now able to store large quantities of data. The phrase “big data” tends to refer to utilizing data for predictive analytics and user behavior analytics. Istituto Bruno Leoni (...

INESS SEEKING INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS TO EXPAND INDEX

Business owners in Slovakia spend 164 hours annually navigating the country’s daunting regulatory web. That number comes from the Institute of Economic and Social Studies’s (INESS) latest Bureaucracy Index. Since its start in 2006, INESS has advocated for more economic competition in Slovakia. For years, this Atlas Network partn...

GETTING BEYOND THE NONPROFIT PLATEAU: START WITH A TEAM PERFORMANCE TUNE-UP

Good teams can hit a wall. Despite talented people and no shortage of hard work, sometimes the rate at which results have been eclipsing previous benchmarks starts to slow down. Sound familiar? I’m talking about the puzzling plateau that frustrates not because anything is really going wrong. It’s because the level of success has...

CDE GREAT LAKES PROMOTES LIBERTY IN BURUNDI, THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO, AND RWANDA

The Great Lakes region in Africa includes Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda. The lake countries face low incomes, high corruption, and little economic freedom. An Atlas Network partner, the Centre for Development and Enterprises (CDE) Great Lakes, is pursuing serious change in the region.

13,000 COSTA RICANS SAY NO TO LUXURY PENSION SYSTEMS

More than one million Costa Ricans — almost 20 percent of the country’s population — live in poverty while almost ten thousand receive “luxury pensions.” According to Atlas Network partner Instituto de Desarrollo Empresarial y Accion Social (the Institute of Business Development and Social Action, or IDEAS), a group of pensioner...

CONCEPT BEHIND BRIBE-O-METER LAYS GROUNDWORK FOR INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL INSTITUTION IN NEW ZEALAND

Transparency is key to establishing trust between voters and elected officials. In 2014, the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union (NZTU), an Atlas Network partner that represents the interests of New Zealand taxpayers, launched the Bribe-O-Meter.

LATIN AMERICA LIBERTY FORUM 2018 SHINES SPOTLIGHT ON SOCIALISM, SOCIAL JUSTICE, AND SOCIALIZING

Some of the top think tanks in Latin America gathered in Santiago, Chile to share success stories and strategies on fighting socialism, advocating for free markets, and seizing the moral high ground.

RECORD-BREAKING CROWDS ATTEND THE 6TH AUSTRALIAN LIBERTARIAN SOCIETY FRIEDMAN CONFERENCE

The 6th ALS Friedman Conference was attended by a record-breaking 380+ people, retaining its title as Australia’s largest gathering of liberty oriented individuals. Attendees enjoy a range of speakers, panels, and VIP events, the 2018 Friedman Conference remains an event not to be missed for the Australian liberty movement.

CEPOS’ LATEST STUDY CHALLENGES THE STATUS QUO ON INEQUALITY

Claims that increases in wealth benefit only those at the top and have a negligible impact on the lower rungs of the economic ladder are driving the discussion on inequality. However, a recent study by the Danish Center for Political Studies (CEPOS) shows that this position is partly the result of a faulty framework.

ATLAS NETWORK WELCOMES ROBERTO SALINAS LEÓN TO DIRECT NEW CENTER FOR LATIN AMERICAN POLICY ANALYSIS

Dr. Roberto Salinas León will serve as the first director of a new Center for Latin American Policy Analysis at Atlas Network, to be formally launched in November 2018. The announcement came at the beginning of this year’s Latin America Liberty Forum held in Santiago, Chile, being jointly hosted by Atlas Network and Fundación pa...