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.
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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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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