Events

All Content

Issue Brief

Jul 11, 2025

Developing and emerging economies should double down on trade liberalization

By Markus Jaeger

The fate of the Trump administration’s proposed tariffs may be unclear—announced and immediately suspended in early April; now set to take effect in July—but it is reasonably clear what emerging and developing economies should do: Resist protectionism, strengthen macroeconomic resilience, and attract foreign investment to navigate rising US trade barriers and uncertainty.

Economy & Business International Markets

Report

Mar 24, 2025

Why democracies stick together: The theory and empirics behind alliance formation

By Markus Jaeger

Democratic peace theory holds that democracies do not go to war with each other. The democratic alliance hypothesis suggests democracies prefer alliances with fellow democracies over nondemocratic powers. If both theories hold, US foreign policy should prioritize democratization, as prosperous, democratic nations are less likely to align with authoritarian states.

China Freedom and Prosperity

The Freedom and Prosperity Equation

Sep 18, 2023

Pathways to economic prosperity: Theoretical, methodological, and evidential considerations

By Markus Jaeger

Economic development is a complex, multi-causal phenomenon and it is useful to consider how different elements, including policies and institutions, interact to produce sustained economic growth. Depending on the situation, various reforms can nudge nations toward certain paths.

Freedom and Prosperity Macroeconomics

Markus Jaeger is a senior advisor at the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center, a fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations, and an adjunct professor at Columbia University. Previously, he was a director and global economist at Deutsche Bank in New York and London where he held a variety of research roles over the years. His current research is focused on international economic relations, geoeconomics, and US, Chinese, and European economic statecraft and grand strategy. Jaeger has been a visiting scholar at the European University Institute in Italy and a visiting fellow at the Casa das Garças in Brazil. He studied philosophy, politics, and economics at Heidelberg University and attended the Sciences Po. Jaeger holds a MSc and PhD from the London School of Economics.