Nina Dannaoui-Johnson

  • Senior Fellow
  • Contact email: fpcenter@atlanticcouncil.org
  • Media queries: press@atlanticcouncil.org

Events

All Content

Report

Jul 15, 2026

2026 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes: The legal foundations that enable prosperity are rapidly eroding

By Ignacio Campomanes, Nina Dannaoui-Johnson, Annie (Yu-Lin) Lee, James Mazzarella

Adherence to the rule of law has declined sharply since 2020. Drawing on thirty years of data across 171 countries, the 2026 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes show why that matters: without strong legal foundations, economic reforms stall, democracies erode, and prosperity stays out of reach for millions.

Freedom and Prosperity Rule of Law

Freedom and Prosperity Around the World

Apr 20, 2026

Institutional architecture and prosperity: What lies beneath the aggregate score

By Ignacio Campomanes, Nina Dannaoui-Johnson, Annie (Yu-Lin) Lee, James Mazzarella

Institutional strength drives prosperity, but aggregate scores can hide key differences—what ultimately shapes development outcomes is how political, legal, and economic systems interact.

Freedom and Prosperity Political Reform

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

Nina Dannaoui-Johnson is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center and the Entrepreneurship Policy Initiative, where she leads research and policy work to strengthen the rule of law, promote entrepreneurship, expand women’s economic participation, and advance economic opportunity. She co-authors flagship research, including the Freedom and Prosperity Indexes, using data to guide policy decisions.

A lawyer with broad experience in international development and public policy, she has worked with governments to strengthen legal and regulatory frameworks, advance institutional reform, and improve the enabling environment for private sector development. Previously, she served as a Director at K2 Integrity, advising governments on legal and regulatory reform and implementing international standards, and as an International Development Specialist at the World Bank, supporting legal and regulatory reform and capacity-building programs across multiple emerging economies.

She holds an LL.M. in International Law from Georgetown University and a law degree from the Holy Spirit University in Lebanon, and is a member of the New York and Lebanese Bar Associations.