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

In the News

Mar 18, 2025

Pavia joins i24 News to discuss Tunisia’s crackdown on opposition figures and political opponents

By Atlantic Council

Freedom and Prosperity Human Rights
Cover photo for Changing the conversation about religious freedom: An integral human development approach

Report

Mar 17, 2025

Changing the conversation about religious freedom: An integral human development approach

By Fabio Petito, Scott Appleby, Silvio Ferrari, and Michael Driessen

Religious freedom is essential for human dignity and development. Persecution restricts minorities' access to healthcare, education, and jobs. Integral Human Development offers a holistic, inclusive approach, fostering dialogue and collaboration. To combat discrimination effectively, policymakers must move beyond protection and empower all individuals to contribute to society’s common good.

Freedom and Prosperity Politics & Diplomacy

UkraineAlert

Mar 13, 2025

Vladimir Putin does not want peace. He wants to subjugate Ukraine.

By Mykola Bielieskov

Russian President Vladimir Putin's evasive response to US President Donald Trump's ceasefire proposal underlines his commitment to continue with an invasion that aims to extinguish Ukraine as a state and nation, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

Conflict Disinformation

Report

Mar 10, 2025

How greater freedom empowers entrepreneurs and expands access to credit

By Jérémie Bertrand, Nina Dannaoui-Johnson, Annie (Yu-Lin) Lee, Caroline Perrin

Access to credit is vital for SMEs, yet barriers like high collateral and discriminatory lending hinder growth, especially for women-led firms. Data shows freer economies reduce borrower discouragement. Legal protections, economic deregulation, and gender-sensitive policies improve access. Case studies from New Zealand, Singapore, and Kenya highlight how strategic reforms bridge credit gaps and drive growth.

Corruption Freedom and Prosperity

New Atlanticist

Mar 7, 2025

What Trump’s approach to Europe means for the Western Balkans

By Agon Maliqi

Shifts in US policy toward Europe could prompt the EU to step up on security for the Western Balkans and revive the enlargement process.

Freedom and Prosperity Political Reform

UkraineAlert

Mar 6, 2025

Is Trump’s Russia reset overshadowing the Ukraine peace process?

By Katherine Spencer

US President Donald Trump campaigned last year on a promise to end the Russia-Ukraine War. His efforts to achieve this goal are now rapidly transforming the geopolitical landscape, writes Katherine Spencer.

Conflict Freedom and Prosperity

UkraineAlert

Mar 6, 2025

US peace initiative can help bring Ukraine’s abducted children home

By Kristina Hook, Iuliia Hoban

Securing the return of the thousands of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia since 2022 must play a part in the peace efforts recently initiated by US President Donald Trump, write Kristina Hook and Iuliia Hoban.

Civil Society Conflict

Freedom and Prosperity Around the World

Mar 5, 2025

Foreword: Protecting global freedom in an age of rising autocracy

By Edward L. Glaeser

Geopolitical shifts are weakening Western democracies, technology is reshaping governance, and authoritarianism is on the rise. How will these developments affect the world—and are there pockets of progress that remain? This foreword examines the state of global freedom, setting the stage for the country reports than follow.

Democratic Transitions Economy & Business

Press Release

Mar 4, 2025

Atlantic Council to host inaugural Global Prosperity Forum

WASHINGTON, DC, March 4, 2025 – The Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center will convene its first ever Global Prosperity Forum on March 19, 2025, from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm at the Atlantic Council’s global headquarters in Washington, DC.   Serving as a bridge between research and policy, this flagship gathering will convene leading policymakers, […]

Freedom and Prosperity

Freedom and Prosperity Around the World

Feb 28, 2025

Building balanced institutions for prosperity

By Ignacio Campomanes, Annie (Yu-Lin) Lee, Joseph Lemoine

This overview chapter explores the institutional evolution of each country and contextualizes these insights within the broader economic and political science literature on institutions and development. As global instability rose in 2024, longstanding governance challenges that had been intensifying over the past decade became increasingly evident.

Corruption Economy & Business
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Experts

Fellow

Helena Fee Rasch

Visiting Fellow

Freedom and Prosperity Center

Economy & Business Europe & Eurasia

Fellow

Deng Liu

Visiting Fellow

Freedom and Prosperity Center

China East Asia

Fellow

Fabio Petito

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Freedom and Prosperity Center

Freedom and Prosperity Human Rights

Fellow

Peter Mandaville

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Freedom and Prosperity Center

Civil Society Freedom and Prosperity

Advisory Council member

Gordon Humphrey

Member, Freedom and Prosperity Center Advisory Council

Freedom and Prosperity Center

Disinformation Freedom and Prosperity

Executive Leadership Intensive participant

Pavlo Bilodid

International Communications Lead, DTEK Group

Millennium Leadership Program

Energy & Environment Europe & Eurasia
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Events

Online Event Fri, June 20, 2025 • 9:30 am ET

The societal value of religious freedom: An integral human development approach
Freedom and Prosperity Human Rights Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding