Freedom and Prosperity

Freedom and Prosperity

Do countries need freedom to achieve prosperity? Do democracies or autocracies have the better answers for the aspirations of their people? With the goal of increasing the prosperity of the poor and marginalized, the Atlantic Council is seeking to answer these defining questions and explore the relationship between freedom and prosperity in developing and developed nations.

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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Content

Transcript

Apr 23, 2026

Full transcript: The 2026 Atlantic Council Distinguished Leadership Awards honor leaders shaping the future with a collaborative spirit

By Atlantic Council

The Atlantic Council honored two trailblazing corporate leaders, a military official, and a Grammy-winning country music artist for their roles in shaping the global landscape.

Freedom and Prosperity NATO

Event Recap

Apr 23, 2026

The 2026 Atlantic Council Distinguished Leadership Awards: Honoring leaders who have thrived in a time of volatility

By Katherine Golden, Daniel Malloy

The Atlantic Council honored Banco Santander's Ana Botín, Chevron's Mike Wirth, NATO's Admiral Pierre Vandier, and country music artist Tanya Tucker.

Freedom and Prosperity NATO

UkraineAlert

Apr 23, 2026

Shakhtar Donetsk gives Ukraine’s war-weary football fans reason to cheer

By Mark Temnycky

Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk will face English team Crystal Palace next week in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League semifinal knowing that a win could provide a much-needed morale boost to millions of fans watching at home in war-torn Ukraine, writes Mark Temnycky.

Conflict Freedom and Prosperity

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

UkraineAlert

Apr 18, 2026

Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014 long before the full-scale war of 2022

By Paul Niland

International efforts to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine must reflect the fact that the Kremlin's attack on Ukraine began in 2014 and not with the full-scale war of 2022, writes Paul Niland.

Conflict Disinformation

Event Recap

Apr 9, 2026

US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau: The old chapter on US foreign policy is ‘coming to a close’

By Katherine Golden

At an Atlantic Council event, Landau talked about the Department of State’s approach to commercial diplomacy and its role in US foreign policy.

Freedom and Prosperity Politics & Diplomacy

Report

Apr 8, 2026

Making aid work in the new geopolitical era will be an uphill battle

By Stefan Dercon

Development aid requires local political commitment, careful project selection, and long-term focus, or it can worsen the problems it seeks to solve. When aid becomes a pawn of geopolitical competition, those conditions for effective aid become more elusive.

Economy & Business Freedom and Prosperity

Dispatches

Mar 27, 2026

What does Bangladesh’s new government need to do to revitalize democracy?

By Will Mortenson

The new leadership in Bangladesh should focus on both short-term economic development and forward-looking constitutional reforms.

Bangladesh Democratic Transitions

Dispatches

Mar 24, 2026

Will Trump focus on Nicaragua next after Venezuela and Cuba?

By María Fernanda Bozmoski

If it wants to help foster a more economically integrated Central America, the United States will need to address Nicaragua’s authoritarianism and transnational repression.

Central America Democratic Transitions

Freedom and Prosperity Around the World

Mar 18, 2026

Italy faces a dangerous gap between stability on paper and citizens’ lived experience

By Massimo Morelli

Giorgia Meloni’s three-year tenure as prime minister is unusually long by recent Italian standards. As her government faces its biggest test yet with a referendum on judicial reforms, what explains Meloni’s relative stability—and the frequent turnover that preceded it? A deep dive into economic and political indicators sheds light on Italy’s path forward.

Elections Fiscal and Structural Reform
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Experts

Executive Leadership Intensive participant

Pavlo Bilodid

International Communications Lead, DTEK Group

Millennium Leadership Program

Energy & Environment Europe & Eurasia

Fellow

Helena Fee Rasch

Visiting Fellow

Freedom and Prosperity Center

Economy & Business Europe & Eurasia

Fellow

Michelle S. Giuda

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Freedom and Prosperity Center

Freedom and Prosperity Politics & Diplomacy

Advisory Council member

Gordon Humphrey

Member, Freedom and Prosperity Center Advisory Council

Freedom and Prosperity Center

Disinformation Freedom and Prosperity

Fellow

Deng Liu

Visiting Fellow

Freedom and Prosperity Center

China East Asia

Fellow

Peter Mandaville

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Freedom and Prosperity Center

Civil Society Freedom and Prosperity
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