STRENGTHENING THE
WORLDWIDE FREEDOM
MOVEMENT

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.

Atlas Network does not receive funds from any government or quasi-government institutions.
Since its founding and according to its bylaws, Atlas Network has relied solely on
voluntary gifts from those who cherish the principles of a free society.

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FEATURED

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...

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...

DO YOU KNOW WHY YOUR WORK MATTERS?

Why does your work matter? That is the question that 29 professionals sought to answer through the day long training: Three-Stack Approach to Marketing and Messaging Policy Research. This training was part of a pre-session held before the State Policy Network’s annual meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah from Oct. 8-12. During this t...

ISRAELI FREEDOM MOVEMENT PROJECT RECOGNIZED AT G10 SUMMIT

As a result of her leadership in the Freedom Index Project — a tool developed by the Israeli Freedom Movement (IFM) — Knesset (Israeli legislature) Member Sharren Haskel addressed German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other world leaders during the last week of September at the 2018 Group of 10 (G10) conference in Berlin. MK Haske...

SPREADING LIBERTY ONE BEER AT A TIME

Free the People is using movies and beer communicate the ideas of freedom. The new film, "Beer Is Freedom: When Hops Cross Borders" tells the journey of how two brewers across the globe worked together in order to create a joint microbrew called Flying Dogma.

MEETING OF OVER A DOZEN CLASSICAL LIBERAL ORGS MARKS IMPORTANT CHAPTER FOR ECUADOR

Thirteen organizations representing academia, civil society activism, and the private sector gathered at the first-ever “Liberal Meeting” in Quito, Ecuador, in late August to discuss the condition of classical liberal ideas in the country. The participants also developed a shared strategy so their efforts to advance economic fre...

REMEMBRANCE OF HOLODOMOR TRAGEDY REMINDS OF THE DANGERS OF TOTALITARIANISM

Totalitarian systems unleashed catastrophic proportions of death and destruction in the 20th century. Communism alone has killed an estimated 100 million people since the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. Fascist regimes also killed tens of millions. In memory of all these victims, the Center for the Opening and Development of Latin...

REMEMBERING BASIL FISHER

Today (October 8th) would have been the birthday of Basil Fisher, the younger brother of the IEA’s founder, Sir Antony Fisher. Though few remember Basil Fisher today, his life (and death) have made a lasting impact.

THE JONES ACT IS COSTLY, HARMFUL, AND DANGEROUS

A little known law is costing Americans more than they know. The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 — also known as the Jones Act — has been inflicting costs on Americans for almost 100 years. Three Atlas Network partners — the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, the Cato Institute and the Mercatus Center — are working to inform citizens...

INSPIRING MINDS FOR LIBERTY IN MONGOLIA

One of the most difficult tasks for the liberty movement today is persuading others of the value of free markets and free people. Even the best ideas cannot lead to greater freedom and prosperity unless others can be convinced of the value of those ideas. In Mongolia, the Silk Road Foundation uses its Free Market Academy (FMA) t...

DEADLINE IS APPROACHING FOR LIGHTS, CAMERA, LIBERTY 2019

A common weakness of public policy oriented groups is that they focus mostly on the development and publication of research, with no accompanying emphasis on bringing the meaning of that research to a wider audience. Stories have always been the most effective way to communicate messages. Think tanks need to understand how to t...

SRI LANKA LOWERS ITS TAX ON WOMEN

For poor women in Sri Lanka affording their monthly requirements of sanitary napkins is a struggle due to the high costs imposed by excessive taxes. The group Advocata Institute has succeeded in making these necessities more affordable by ending the 40 percent tax on these products.

TIME TO CELEBRATE THE INTERNATIONAL BUREAUCRACY DAY!

There are hundreds of international commemorative days (Wikipedia lists almost 800), varying from the International Beer Day through the Hobbit Day, up to more the serious world AIDS Day or Pneumonia Day.

FOR FIRST TIME, CITIZENS PARTICIPATE IN EGYPT’S BUDGETING PROCESS

Egyptian Center for Public Policy Studies has been named a finalist for Atlas Network’s 2018 Templeton Freedom Award. After the dust settled following the Arab Spring in 2011, Egypt’s score fell dramatically on the Open Budget Index, which measures government transparency and citizen engagement in the budget-making process. Seek...

AMIDST ONGOING CHALLENGES, REDUCING SIZE OF GOVERNMENT IS ESSENTIAL STEP TOWARD CORRECTING ARGENTINA

Libertad y Progreso has been named a finalist for Atlas Network’s 2018 Templeton Freedom Award. A little over a century ago, Argentina was one of the world’s wealthiest nations. Yet decade after decade of economic mismanagement and a ballooning state has tanked its economy and ingrained a culture in which Argentines view their g...

CROATIAN PROPERTY TAX HANDILY DEFEATED, MORE CITIZENS GET TO STAY IN HOMES

Lipa Taxpayers Association has been named a finalist for Atlas Network’s 2018 Templeton Freedom Award. With Croatia’s population declining for decades, its government ought to pursue policies that encourage growth. Instead, it pursued a policy that threatened to further push Croatians out with the 2017 passage of a tax on privat...

QUANTIFYING REGULATION FIRST STEP TO LOWER DRAG ON ECONOMIC GROWTH IN 26 STATES

Mercatus Center at George Mason University has been named a finalist for Atlas Network’s 2018 Templeton Freedom Award. Ever-growing regulatory codes pose a very tangible and acutely felt burden on the lives of real people. These burdensome regulations — a term that under-communicates just how harmful their impact can be — get in...

STATE-BASED THINK TANK’S WORK ON PENSION REFORM A SUCCESS FOR ALL PENNSYLVANIANS

The Commonwealth Foundation has been named a finalist for Atlas Network’s 2018 Templeton Freedom Award. Pennsylvania was sprinting toward financial meltdown with its unfunded pension liabilities and its state lawmakers apathetic to do anything about it. That was until a small think tank sounded the alarm in 2006. The Commonwealt...

OHIO THINK TANK LEADS THE WAY ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM

The Buckeye Institute has been named a finalist for Atlas Network’s 2018 Templeton Freedom Award. Too often, lives are defined by a single mistake. This is a story about human compassion, redemption, and commonsense solutions to complex public policy issues. It is a story about changing outdated, unjust, and arbitrary laws at th...

THINK TANK ESSENTIALS TRAINING BUILDS A SENSE OF COMMUNITY AMONG EUROPEAN PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

Last week, 25 think tank professionals from 23 different organizations in 19 different countries across Europe gathered together in the “capital of Europe” for a Think Tank Essentials training. At first glance, Brussels may seem like an odd venue. As the seat of many offices of the European Union, the city can seem very bureaucr...

GREEKS ARE BURDENED BY TAXES, CAN SOUVLAKI SAVE THEM?

Greeks love their souvlaki, but they’re paying more than they know. The hidden ingredient? Value added taxes, or VAT. The Greek Liberties Monitor’s (GLM) Souvlaki project is using social media, videos, memes, and real businesses to show the burdens of Greek’s tax system. The name for the project comes from the Greek dish souvla...

COMMON SENSE ECONOMICS TRANSLATED INTO NEPALI

In Nepal, translations of authoritarian, socialist works by Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Mao Zedong, and others are widely available, but books that promote liberty and free markets are virtually non-existent. The Nepal Prosperity Institute (NPI) is working to fix this by translating pro-market books into the local Nepali langua...

CARDINAL INSTITUTE IN WEST VIRGINIA EXPLAINS HOW TO ACTUALLY HELP WV FAMILIES

The Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy was recently featured by the Exponent Telegram, a prominent West Virginia paper, in an article responding to a new report proposed by the liberal think tank West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy (WVCBP). The WVCBP report claims that the best way to increase employment, wages, a...

DEADLINE FOR STUDENTS TO APPLY FOR ROMANIAN CONFERENCE ON LIBERTY IS FAST-APPROACHING

The Center for Institutional Analysis and Development – Eleutheria (CADI) is hosting its conference “The Minimal State Solution for Romania” in the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Bucharest, Romania October 23rd through the 27th. This is the 2018 iteration of CADI’s “October School in Philosophy, Economics and Politics”....

THE STORY OF SWEDEN IS ABOUT MARKETS, NOT SOCIALISM

For years, Free to Choose Network has brought the importance of individual, economic, and political freedom to a mainstream audience through film. The renowned Swedish economist Johan Norberg's most recent film is Sweden: Lessons for America: A Personal Exploration by Johan Norberg, which debuted on public television a few weeks...

SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF RACE RELATIONS SEEKS TO EMPOWER FORGOTTEN POPULATIONS

The history of apartheid has left South Africa scared by inequality. However, current attempts to fix these injustices have left out 87 percent of the black South African population. In response, the South African Institute of Race Relations (IRR)has put forth its plan for an alternative route to economic empowerment.

FIRST VIDEO IN EGYPTIAN ‘FREE MARKET SERIES’ FEATURES ATLAS NETWORK’S TOM PALMER

The Egyptian Center for Public Policy Studies (ECPPS) has released the first in a series of engaging videos designed to inform and persuade Egyptian citizens and viewers from all over the world about the power of free markets. The video displays beautiful cinematography and explains the practical and moral value of market-based...

NEW BOOK BY FIRE PRESIDENT TAKES ON ‘CATASTROPHIZING’ AND ‘CODDLING’ OF AMERICAN MINDS

In the past few years, the atmosphere of college campuses in the U.S. has become increasingly hostile to free speech. A recent Gallup poll found that 61% of college students in the U.S. feel that the climate on their campus prevents people from speaking freely. Speakers are shouted down, threatened, and attacked on campuses acro...

A LESSON FROM AFRICA? BOTSWANA’S DEVELOPMENT AND VINDICATION OF CLASSICAL LIBERAL INSTITUTIONS

During a recent visit to Washington, D.C., I met with several think tanks and foundations, all of whom work with organizational partners in Africa. What struck me, anecdotally, was the absence of Botswana in all of it. Who works with them? Is it a case that few see the need to mention given its relative success?

ARGENTINIAN THINK TANK TO PARTICIPATE IN THINK20 SUMMIT

Fundación Instituto David Hume (FIDH) seeks to convince global leaders of the benefits of technology for developing economies. The Argentinian think tank has been selected to present its new policy brief, “Providing a Broader Framework to Social and Labour Relations,” at the Think20 (T20) Summit, September 16–18, 2019. In the b...

LAUNCH OF THE BALKAN LIBERTY NETWORK SIGNALS NEW CHAPTER FOR REGION

The movement to advance liberty in the Balkans is evolving into a well-consolidated network. Liberalni Forum in Bosnia & Herzegovina and Lucha Institute in Montenegro have partnered to establish the Balkan Liberty Network to reinforce the work of several independent classical liberal institutions in the region. The Balkan Libert...

TAJIKISTAN FREE MARKET CENTER HOSTS LECTURE SERIES

On August 9 the Tajikistan Free Market Center (TFMC) hosted their latest in a series of lectures on economics and liberty in the Central Asian country. This lecture, titled “Property and Prosperity,” was hosted in the city of Kulob and provided information about the correlation between free market policies, political freedoms, a...

ATLAS LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

Gain the skills you need to succeed in the world of free market think tanks.

OUR GLOBAL PARTNER DIRECTORY

Learn more about our partners with our expansive global directory.

HOW WE SUPPORT OUR PARTNERS

Discover the many ways we can help, from grants and awards to consulting and training.

UPCOMING ATLAS NETWORK EVENTS

Lights, Camera, Liberty

Thursday-Sunday, March 21 - 24

The Lights, Camera, Liberty workshop is a highly interactive storytelling, messaging, and video production workshop held in partnership with Taliesin Nexus.

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Defender of the Market of Ideas in China

Thursday, October 25

Join us at this event and learn more about the current political environment in China and how Ma Junjie and others are working to promote ideas of a free society within the country's borders.

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