Voices of the Future

This ongoing paper series highlights graduate student research on key global, regional, and national trends in freedom and prosperity.

about the project

As a part of the Freedom and Prosperity Center’s mission to improve human well-being through evidence-based policymaking, the center publishes graduate student research that uses the Freedom and Prosperity Indexes to examine trends in governance and development across the globe.

On topics ranging from the impact of legal clarity on prosperity across different income groups to the effect of female leadership on political freedom, the featured authors use data to provide concise and actionable policy recommendations.

Check out the research below to see how up-and-coming scholars are applying the Freedom and Prosperity Indexes data to contemporary policy priorities.

featured content

The clarity of the law differential: Channels to prosperity across income groups

By Achilles Tsirgis

Legal clarity increases prosperity through different mechanisms depending on a country’s income level— high-income nations gain primarily through productivity and innovation, while lower-middle-income countries benefit most through credibility and reduced borrowing costs.

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How information and communication technologies can empower women in Senegal

By Aminata Niang

Data and interview results show how information and communication technologies are empowering women in Senegal’s informal economy.

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Does liberal democracy drive inequalities?

By Yi Zhou

There has been much debate about the relationship between liberal democracy and social and economic inequality, but data shows that free societies remain more equal than their less free counterparts.

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Trackers and Data Visualizations

Jun 15, 2023

Freedom and Prosperity Indexes

The indexes rank 164 countries around the world according to their levels of freedom and prosperity. Use our site to explore twenty-eight years of data, compare countries and regions, and examine the sub-indexes and indicators that comprise our indexes.

Explore the program

The Freedom and Prosperity Center aims to increase the prosperity of the poor and marginalized in developing countries and to explore the nature of the relationship between freedom and prosperity in both developing and developed nations.

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