Council’s 16^th center will advance awareness of socioeconomic opportunities in developing countries; launch to be marked by release this month of groundbreaking indexes examining the relationship between freedom and prosperity in 174 countries. 

WASHINGTON, DC – June 1, 2022 – The Atlantic Council announced today the launch of the Freedom and Prosperity Center. The Center aims to increase the prosperity of the poor and marginalized in developing countries and to explore the relationship between freedom and prosperity in both developing and developed nations.

The Center is established at a time when the traditional development formula of free markets and representative government is increasingly called into question and some propose authoritarianism as a credible alternative. The Freedom and Prosperity Center becomes the Council’s 16th program, building on the organization’s mission of working with allies and partners to advance a more free, secure, and prosperous global community.

The Center will examine through original research and existing scholarship whether countries with more economic, political, and legal freedoms produce more prosperity for their people. The Center’s research will be shared globally through active engagement with international policymakers and stakeholders, particularly in developing countries.

“The Atlantic Council has a six-decade tradition of fusing thought and action on the most important issues of our time. As the developing world confronts unprecedented challenges, there is a great need for the positive vision and practical solutions that will be promoted by the Freedom and Prosperity Center,” said Frederick Kempe, president and CEO of the Atlantic Council.

“Our Center is committed to working directly with countries that have for too long been marginalized so the global community can better understand their path to prosperity,” said Dan Negrea, the Freedom and Prosperity Center’s Senior Director. “It is essential that we listen to points of view from all continents on how to unlock the human potential in the developing world.”

The Center’s flagship project is the production of the Freedom and Prosperity Indexes, which rank 174 countries according to 28 indicators. When combined with historical evidence, the research behind the indexes suggests more freedoms tend to lead to more prosperity. The first-ever Freedom and Prosperity Indexes will be formally published later this month.

The Freedom and Prosperity Center will be led by Senior Director Dan Negrea. Negrea served at the US Department of State from 2018-2021 as the Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs, and as a member of the Secretary’s Policy Planning Office responsible for the economic portfolio. He previously held leadership positions in Wall Street firms where he financed middle market companies. Negrea holds an MBA from Cornell University and an MA from the School of International Economic Relations in Bucharest, Romania.

To learn more about the Freedom and Prosperity Center, please visit here.

For inquiries, contact press@atlanticcouncil.org.