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Report

Jun 23, 2025

2025 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes: How political freedom drives growth

By Ignacio Campomanes, Nina Dannaoui-Johnson, Annie (Yu-Lin) Lee, Joseph Lemoine

As the Freedom and Prosperity Indexes show political freedom declining worldwide for the twelfth straight year, new data analysis shows its importance for lasting prosperity: Though authoritarians promise economic rewards, democratizing countries gain an 8.8 percent GDP per capita boost over twenty years than their autocratic peers. With democracy on the ropes, what else can the Indexes tell us?

China Civil Society

Report

Mar 10, 2025

How greater freedom empowers entrepreneurs and expands access to credit

By Jérémie Bertrand, Nina Dannaoui-Johnson, Annie (Yu-Lin) Lee, Caroline Perrin

Access to credit is vital for SMEs, yet barriers like high collateral and discriminatory lending hinder growth, especially for women-led firms. Data shows freer economies reduce borrower discouragement. Legal protections, economic deregulation, and gender-sensitive policies improve access. Case studies from New Zealand, Singapore, and Kenya highlight how strategic reforms bridge credit gaps and drive growth.

Corruption Freedom and Prosperity

Freedom and Prosperity Around the World

Feb 28, 2025

Building balanced institutions for prosperity

By Ignacio Campomanes, Annie (Yu-Lin) Lee, Joseph Lemoine

This overview chapter explores the institutional evolution of each country and contextualizes these insights within the broader economic and political science literature on institutions and development. As global instability rose in 2024, longstanding governance challenges that had been intensifying over the past decade became increasingly evident.

Corruption Economy & Business
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Annie (Yu-Lin) Lee is a program assistant at the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center, where she supports the center’s programming, data collection, and research.

Lee is a 2023 graduate of National Chengchi University in Taiwan, with a BA in diplomacy. A dual US-Taiwanese citizen raised in Taipei, Lee is fluent in both Mandarin Chinese and English. Prior to joining the Freedom and Prosperity Center, she worked as a research assistant at Academia Sinica (Taiwan’s national research institute) on US policy towards Taiwan and China. Her work has been featured by the US-China Perception Monitor, the American Political Science Association, the Carter Center, and the New Atlanticist. As an undergraduate, Lee also completed a semester-long study abroad program at Sciences Po Lille in France.