ATLAS NETWORK
Initiatives for Asia & Oceania
Latest regional updates
Asia and Oceania is one of the most politically, culturally, and religiously diverse regions in the world and is home to 60% of the world’s population. It is a region that has a complex history with noted struggles in dealing with poverty, instability, and oppressive regimes. Most recently we have seen illiberal regimes in the region engage in oppression to an even greater degree as illustrated by the imprisonment of Hong Kong businessman and democracy advocate - Jimmy Lai, which was documented by Atlas Network’s CEO, Brad Lips, in his early 2021 Wall Street Journal op-ed.
Our more than 47 partners in the region are actively working to address the myriad of challenges to freedom, such as government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic that have disrupted both economies and private lives. In addition, these partners are removing cultural and policy barriers holding women back from receiving the same rights as men, creating incentives for conservation, reforming tax systems to be more fair and transparent, eliminating regulations and unnecessary requirements to run a micro/small business and much more.
While there are many barriers to peace and prosperity in the region, we remain optimistic as we know that liberal values are neither eastern nor western. They are human values and can be found in the Padma Purana, the Dhammapada, the Bible, the Qur’an, and other sacred texts of great religious and ethical traditions that have shaped cultures across Asia and Oceania.
Now in my sixth decade of actively promoting the cause of liberty, I’m thrilled to support Atlas Network initiatives in Asia and Oceania, bringing together ideas and strategies from all parts of this region. I invite you to engage with Atlas Network to discover the path forward and accelerate freedom in the region!
Dr. Tom G. Palmer
Initiatives
News & ideas
View AllIncreasing Intellectual Capacity & Depth in Asia to Enable More Adoption of Policy Reforms that Work
In early September, 22 researchers from 11 countries (Vietnam, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia), and 13 different think tank organizations gathered in Kuala Lumpur to engage in a series of discussions focused on improving research capabilities in the region, identifying opportunities to collaborate, and creating new research talent pipelines. The event was facilitated by members of Atlas Network’s Innovation Lab and sponsored by the Templeton World Charity Foundation, who also had key members of its staff in attendance.
Read Article
Bikalpa—An Alternative wins 2023 Asia Liberty Award
Atlas Network is proud to present the 2023 Asia Liberty Award to Bikalpa—An Alternative. The award was accepted by Founder and Executive Director Basanta Adhikari at Asia Liberty Forum 2023 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Read ArticleOliver Bryan wins Think Tank Shark Tank in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Judges at Asia Liberty Forum 2023 chose Oliver Bryan of Atlas Network partner New Zealand Taxpayers' Union as the winner of the Asia Think Tank Shark Tank competition and its US$10,000 prize.
Read ArticleAlumni in Focus: Basanta Adhikari
Basanta Adhikari's experience with Atlas Network Academy in his own words. After finishing my master’s degree in South Korea in 2011, I returned to Nepal with the desire to do meaningful work to make my country a better place. At that time, my thinking was influenced by populist and left-wing political views. However, my mind started to change after I took part in a research program organized by Center for Public Policy Research (India). The same year, I participated in Atlas Network’s Asia Liberty Forum in Delhi, where I learned about the worldwide liberty movement and the values of freedom, which I realized were crucial for individual survival and the economic flourishing of my country.
Read ArticleWhy Americans Should Care About Sri Lanka's Economic Crisis
Sri Lanka's crisis is no mere financial downturn, like Americans are experiencing now. Our economic system is literally collapsing, with millions of people in desperate need of humanitarian aid. Ten-hour blackouts have become part of daily life in Sri Lanka. Food, water, and other basic necessities are not guaranteed. More than 6 million Sri Lankans are food insecure. Inflation is 66 percent year over year (as of October), child malnutrition is skyrocketing. Parents cannot afford meat, milk, or eggs, forcing themselves into difficult sacrifices.
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Experts
Dr. Tom G. Palmer, Executive Vice President for International Programs
Dr. Tom G. Palmer is executive vice president for international programs at Atlas Network where he holds the George M. Yeager Chair for Advancing Liberty. He is co-author with Matt Warner of Development with Dignity: Self-Determination, Localization, and the End to Poverty (Routledge, 2022). He travels extensively to work with NGOs promoting liberal democracy and locally-led economic development, which he had been doing since before the end of the USSR and its empire. He is the author of many books and a contributor to numerous volumes, mostly recently Truth and Governance (Brookings Institution, 2021). Palmer received his doctorate in politics from Oxford University.
Talks with Tom – Last Days in Kabul
As the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan, it left a chaotic scene in its wake. As the Taliban reclaimed power, many who had advocated for the principles of a free society became targeted in violent reprisals. Atlas Network quickly and quietly mobilized to help the CEO of Afghanistan Economic and Legal Studies Organization (AELSO), Khalid Ramizy, escape the country. Dr. Tom G. Palmer recently spoke to Khalid, now safely abroad.
Frequently Asked Questions
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We recognize that policy issues are not the same throughout the region, and the strategies that our partners seek to implement are responsive to local needs. Our initiatives aim to complement—and find ways to collaborate with—other efforts to advance sound policy ideas. We welcome inquiries about how we might work cooperatively with other organizations pursuing similar ends.
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The mission of our initiatives is to help achieve a lasting peace and inclusive prosperity throughout Asia & Oceania, providing justice and opportunity to all its citizens. Our strategy is to assist civil society organizations in the region to implement bottom-up projects that increase freedom.
This means we focus our attention on helping our partners by providing (1) training; (2) competitive grant opportunities; and (3) networking opportunities. Through our annual Asia Liberty Forum and other events and public campaigns, we also bring public attention to the projects of our partners and the importance of their work. -
Since we believe the best policy solutions come from the bottom-up, our strategy is to listen to our partners rather than direct their plans and strategies. The principal focus of our work is supporting (via training, grants, and networking opportunities) our partners’ locally-grown solutions to poverty and other local challenges.
We work with our partner network to help identify areas of collaboration around big themes that are common in the think tank world, and that have relevance to the needs that other local partners have identified. Current themes include:
• Improving understanding of the benefits of trade and the dangers of protectionism, so that political leaders will less inclined to indulge in demagoguery that could undermine beneficial trading relationships.
• Rooting out corruption and political privileges that distort the economic playing field. Such work will help us clarify that enlightened political actors will be “pro-market” (since market competition produces innovation and lowers prices for consumers), not “pro-business” (a euphemism for helping existing businesses at the expense of competitors and consumers).
• Using tools like the Doing Business report of the World Bank and the Fraser Institute’s Economic Freedom of the World report to identify “low-hanging-fruit” reforms that can measurably increase economic freedom. -
Our initiatives are not endowed and do not accept funding from any government. They rely entirely on the generosity of individuals and institutional donors that share our desire to create greater freedom and opportunity for the people who inhabit Asia & Oceania’s diverse political, cultural, and social landscape.
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If you would like to learn more about the initiatives and meet those involved, consider attending our upcoming Asia Liberty Forum or Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner, where many of our partners come together to learn from one another, participate in networking and training opportunities, and celebrate the accomplishments of their global peers.
If you are working for a think tank or civil society group that would like to take part in training programs and grant competitions, the first step is to go through Atlas Network’s partner approval process.
If you are a philanthropist wanting to learn about the initiatives' work, please contact Chief Development Officer Chad Goote. We would be happy to provide details that will help you make an informed decision about how gifts to the Center for Asia & Oceania may fulfill your philanthropic goals.
If you are a member of the academy or the media, we welcome your inquiries about how you might contribute to a better understanding of the work of the initiatives and the achievements of our independent partners. -
Our initiatives in Asia & Oceania serve a network of independent think tanks and civil society organizations that take their own positions on specific policy topics in specific countries. We are not a think tank ourselves, so we are not in the business of giving hot takes on the news of the day. On occasion, our team can assist media inquiries by providing references to experts associated with our partner organizations, but these individuals do not speak for the initiatives themselves.
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No. Our initiatives in Asia & Oceania does not engage in partisan politics. Our focus is on building a long-term consensus around the principles that foster peace and prosperity, with the sincere hope that such a future will see ‘less at stake’ in individual elections, because all parties will be respectful of fundamental freedoms.
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Our initiatives for Asia & Oceania collaborate with partners that understand how individual rights, limited government under the rule of law, and free markets can create prosperity and improve the prospects for peace. The initiatives call for an end to cronyism, corruption, and political privileges of all kinds, and looks forward to working with all people of goodwill who share this vision. In this way, the initiatives adhere to a set of principles, but not to a narrowly-defined ideology or political orientation.