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more than 475 free-market organizations in over 90 countries to the
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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...

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...

RANKING THE BUSINESS CLIMATE COMPETITIVENESS OF ARGENTINA’S PROVINCES

The Argentinian think-tank Fundación Libertad recently released Índice Provincial de Desempeño Empresarial 2018 (IPDE, “Provincial Index of Business Climate”) — a study measuring the regulations that favor or hinder business activity in each of the 23 Argentianian provinces as well as the autonomous city of Buenos Aires. The IPD...

NEW CEI VIDEO EXPLAINS, PRAISES THE PLATFORM ECONOMY

The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), an Atlas Network partner, recently released a short, informative video about the platform economy and the threats this booming industry faces from government regulation. CEI Vice President for Strategy Iain Murray explains that entrepreneurs in the platform economy provide a trusted ch...

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

85 ATLAS NETWORK PARTNERS CONTRIBUTE TO 2018 INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY RIGHTS INDEX

Working with 113 think tanks around the world — including 85 Atlas Network partners — the Property Rights Alliance launched the 2018 International Property Rights Index (IPRI) on August 8. Covering 98 percent of world GDP and 93 percent of the world population, the Index measures the strength of physical property rights, intelle...

FREE TRADE ZONES IN SERBIA DEMONSTRATE THAT FREER ECONOMIES MEAN STRONGER ECONOMIES

Serbian-based Libertarian Club Libek has recently released two studies — one drawing from international economic studies that agree that free economies result in thriving economies, and the other explains the positive impact that “free trade zones” have had on the Serbian GDP — both of which make the case for lower regulation as...

EDUCATING JOURNALISTS TO REINFORCE RULE OF LAW IN AFRICA

Atlas Network’s partner the Institute for Liberty and Policy Innovation (ILAPI) in Ghana just held their second African Journalists for Economic Opportunity Training (AJEOT). In addition to the 20 students from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and Switzerland, experts from around the world were there to offer training and insights on the...

FREEDOMFEST 2018 AND ANTHEM FILM FESTIVAL CELEBRATE THE STORYTELLERS OF FREEDOM

Held in the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, FreedomFest 2018 was an exceptional three-day conference where 2,000 influencers and open-minded individuals gathered to celebrate liberty in all its forms. FreedomFest is where all are invited to relish in the subjects they love—as well as share their interests and passions with think tanks...

IN MEMORIAM: ANDREA MILLEN RICH, 1939–2018

The cause of liberty has lost a dear friend and a wise counsel, but her spirit remains active through every person she convinced of the value of liberty and through every person she inspired to stand against violence and tyranny; they are far, far more than they know. Andrea Rich (1939-2018) was a businesswoman, publisher, TV pr...

AFRICA LIBERTY FORUM SHINES SPOTLIGHT ON PROSPERITY, CORRUPTION, AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

The Africa Liberty Forum #AfricaLF18, sponsored by Atlas Network with local organizing co-host African Students for liberty, is a gathering of the best and the brightest in Africa to discuss and exchange solutions that promote liberty and free-market reforms in the region. Major sponsorship generously provided by the John Temple...

FEE’S “HOW WE THRIVE” ILLUSTRATES ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN SENEGAL

The Foundation for Economic Education’s (FEE) recently released the third video in its “How We Thrive” documentary series about a small business owner’s struggles against government bureaucracy and ineffectual NGOs in Senegal, and it is already furthering the conversation about individual liberty and free markets in Africa. “Mad...

NEW TIMBRO INDEX EXPLORES SIZE OF SHARING ECONOMY THROUGHOUT WORLD

Peer-to-peer services, like Uber and Airbnb, make up a market known as the sharing economy. Because of its novelty, much information surrounding the sharing economy is unknown. Timbro, an Atlas Network partner and the largest Nordic free-market think tank, has released the Timbro Sharing Economy Index (TSEI), which estimates the...

TAX FREEDOM DAY IN GREECE PUSHED TO 198 DAYS INTO THE YEAR

The economic situation in Greece remains dire, and, according to Atlas Network partner Center for Liberal Studies (KEFiM), Greeks must work 198 days of the year just to pay their annual taxes. This finding comes from KEFiM’s recent Tax Freedom Day study, which it created to present the real economic conditions of Greece, support...

DISCUSSING ‘SELF-CONTROL OR STATE CONTROL’ IN INDONESIA

Indonesia's government is facing challenges due to some growing support for radical Islam in the country — a movement coming, in part, from Indonesian universities. To help remedy this precarious situation, Atlas Network partner SuaraKebebasan.org organized a series of talks and workshops, advocating for freedom among Indonesian...

COMPETITIVE ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE CELEBRATES ECONOMIST HERNANDO DE SOTO

The Competitive Enterprise Institute's (CEI) Annual Dinner and Reception brought together policy professionals, distinguished scholars, congressional staff, and enthusiastic supporters to celebrate CEI's effective advocacy for freedom. More than 700 attended CEI’s 2018 Annual Dinner and Reception. During the event, CEI presented...

PRESIDENT OF THE MANHATTAN INSTITUTE FOR POLICY RESEARCH TO STEP DOWN IN 2019

After more than 23 years of leadership and 36 years of service, Lawrence J. Mone has announced that he will step down as president from the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research (MI) in 2019. In 1977, Sir Antony Fisher founded the International Center for Economic Policy Studies (ICEPS), which was later renamed the Manhattan I...

DOING DEVELOPMENT DIFFERENTLY: NEW APPROACHES IN AUSTRALIA

In most universities and within the foreign affairs establishment, there is a near-consensus view that to improve development and reduce poverty, more aid money should be spent by governments and “big aid” international organizations. In Western Australia, some of the brightest young minds have taken a fresh look at development...

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...