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Over the past seventeen years, there has been a noticeable rise in authoritarianism across the globe. Autocratic regimes have sought to export authoritarianism and undermine freedom on a global scale. Citizens in countries around the world have grown increasingly skeptical about democracy’s ability to address their needs, turning to leaders who promise quick economic gains at the expense of political freedoms.  

But amid these challenges, there are signs of hope. Research shows that achieving prosperity does not require sacrificing freedom. In fact, data demonstrates that the surest path to prosperity lies in a political system that fosters and prioritizes political, economic, and legal freedoms.  

On February 27, 2024, the Freedom and Prosperity Center will host its second annual Research Conference at the Atlantic Council headquarters in Washington, DC. Scholars, policymakers, and thought leaders from around the world will present their research and analysis on international development and the relationship between freedom and prosperity. Join the conversation on reshaping the global discourse surrounding the interplay between freedom and prosperity. 

Newly Released Book

Fourteen of the twenty authors for this book are participating in the conference. Keynote speaker Daron Acemoglu wrote the forward.

2024 Atlas: Freedom and prosperity around the world

The contemporary geopolitical landscape is marked by a series of crises—economic downturns, geopolitical tensions, and global pandemics—that have reshaped the role of governments worldwide. This comprehensive volume, featuring insights from twenty leading economists and diplomats, serves as a roadmap for navigating the complexities of contemporary governance. 

Agenda

8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Breakfast and research showcases

At Atlantic Council headquarters

9:30 a.m. – 9:50 a.m. Welcoming remarks

Dan Negrea, Senior Director, Freedom and Prosperity Center, Atlantic Council

Frederick Kempe, President and CEO, Atlantic Council

Michael Fisch, CEO, American Securities

 

9:50 a.m. – 10:20 a.m. Special remarks

Daron Acemoglu, Institute Professor of Economics, MIT

10:20 a.m. – 11:05 a.m. The European Union, Ukraine, and Russia

Simeon Djankov, Director, Policy, Financial Markets Group, London School of Economics; Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Bulgaria

Yuriy Gorodnichenko, Quantedge Presidential Professor, Department of Economics, University of California, Berkeley

Melinda Haring, Senior Community Engagement Advisor, Razom for Ukraine

Konstantin Sonin, John Dewey Distinguished Service Professor, University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy

 

 

Moderated by

Dan Negrea, Senior Director, Freedom and Prosperity Center

 

11:05 a.m. – 11:20 a.m. Freedom and Prosperity Center research and programs

Joseph Lemoine, Director, Freedom and Prosperity Center, Atlantic Council

11:20 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. Coffee break and research showcases

At Atlantic Council headquarters

11:50 a.m. – 12:35 p.m. The freedom-based development model in the Indo-Pacific

Amb. Kelley E. Currie, Former United States’ Representative, UN Economic and Social Council; Former Alternative Representative, UN General Assembly

Johanna Kao, Senior Director for Asia-Pacific, International Republican Institute

Kotaro Shiojiri, Japan Foundation Visiting Fellow, The Wilson Center

 

Moderated by

Kimberly A. Reed, Distinguished Fellow, Freedom and Prosperity Center, Atlantic Council

12: 35 p.m. – 1:40 p.m. Lunch Buffet and research showcases 

At Atlantic Council headquarters

1:40 p.m. – 2:25 p.m. Economic freedom and democracy in the Middle East and North Africa

Rabah Arezki, Senior Fellow, Kennedy School, Harvard University; Former Chief Economist, Middle East and North Africa, World Bank

Mohamed M. Farid, Senator and Deputy Chair for Committee on Human Rights and Social Solidarity, Egypt

Racha Helwa, Director, Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs, Atlantic Council

 

Moderated by

Nina Dannaoui, Associate Director, Freedom and Prosperity Center, Atlantic Council

2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. The paradox of aid: Forging the path forward in Africa

William Easterly, Professor of Economics, New York University; Co-director, NYU Development Research Institute

Ray Hartley, Research Director, The Brenthurst Foundation, South Africa

Robert Mudida, Director of Research, Central Bank of Kenya

 

Moderated by

Amb. Rama Yade, Senior Director, Africa Center, Atlantic Council

3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. Coffee break

At Atlantic Council headquarters

3:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. Institutional retrenchment and the growth imperative in Latin America

Jason Marczak, Senior Director, Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, Atlantic Council

Vanessa Rubio Marquez, Associate Dean for Extended Education, School of Public Policy, London School of Economics; Former Senator and Deputy Minister, Mexico 

 

Moderated by

Julio Amador Diaz Lopez, Research Fellow, Imperial College London

 

 

4:15 p.m. Closing remarks and reception

At Atlantic Council headquarters

Research showcases

Authoritarianism, development and governance: The case of Myanmar

Amb. Kelley E. Currie, Former United States’ Representative, UN Economic and Social Council; Former Alternative Representative, UN General Assembly

Less freedom, weaker states, more conflict: Can that cycle be broken?

Patrick Quirk, Vice President for Strategy, Innovation, and Impact, International Republican
Institute

False promises: The authoritarian development models of Russia and China

Patrick Quirk, Vice President for Strategy, Innovation, and Impact, International Republican
Institute

Lauren Van Metre, Director, Peace, Climate and Democratic Resilience, National Democratic Institute

The dynamics of innovation and the quality of bureaucracy

Julio Amador Diaz Lopez, Research Fellow, Imperial College London

Empirical investigation of the effect of freedom (and its dimensions) on economic growth

Ignacio Campomanes, Resident Fellow, Center for International Development, Navarra University, Spain

Attracting foreign direct investments: How economic freedom, strong institutions, and the rule of law make a difference

Jérémie Bertrand, Professor and Deputy Academic Director of the Grande École Program, IESEG

China’s national innovation system: Industrial policy, funding mechanisms, and foreign investment. Case study on artificial intelligence

Adrian Băzăvan, Foreign affairs advisor to the Minister, Romanian Ministry of Energy

Mexico Prosperity Index, 2023

Alejandra López de Alba Gómez, Deputy Director General, Mexican Council on Foreign Relations (COMEXI)

Prosperity that lasts: The 2023 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes

Dan Negrea, Senior Director, Freedom and Prosperity Center, Atlantic Council

Joseph Lemoine, Director, Freedom and Prosperity Center, Atlantic Council

Speakers

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Public Event Thu, February 2, 2023 • 9:30 am ET

2023 Annual Research Conference

Scholars and policymakers from around the world present their research and analysis on the relationship between freedom and prosperity.
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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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