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About the Center

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.

The Center analyzes some of the defining questions of our time and of all time. Do countries need freedom to achieve prosperity? Do democracies or autocracies have the better answers to the aspirations of the peoples of the world? What about countries that are not electoral democracies in the Western sense, but have high levels of economic and legal freedoms and leaders who appear to enjoy a high level of legitimacy among their citizens?

Central to answering these questions are the Freedom and Prosperity Indexes. The indexes measure the freedom and prosperity, respectively, of nearly every country in the world.

You can access the Freedom and Prosperity Indexes, country rankings, and full report through the below links.

Freedom and Prosperity indexes

Full rankings and report

Explore the indexes

Do countries need freedom to achieve prosperity?

Download the full report

Frequently asked questions

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Participation in International Events

Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2022

The Freedom and Prosperity Center, the Atlantic Council’s newest center, had its public launch at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Thursday, June 9. Dan Negrea, the Center’s Senior Director, and Matt Kroenig, Deputy Director of the Scowcroft Center, participated in a panel that discussed their report entitled “Do Countries Need Freedom to Achieve Prosperity?”

Watch Now

Grants & Opportunities

Freedom & Prosperity Grant

With a strategic partnership with Atlas Network, an organization with over 500 think tank affiliates in over 100 countries, the Atlantic Council’s Center for Freedom and Prosperity fosters greater economic, political, and legal freedoms. Through our partnership, we are glad to launch the Freedom & Prosperity Grants funding for strong candidates that present an achievable strategy for increasing economic, political, and legal freedoms in their country or community. Please submit the grant proposals by August 15.

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Events

Learn how the message of freedom and prosperity resonates in different regions of the world.

Asia Workshop

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Africa Workshop

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Greater Middle East and North Africa Workshop

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Latin America Workshop

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Press Release

Press Release

Jun 1, 2022

Atlantic Council Launches Freedom and Prosperity Center

Council’s 16th 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 

Team

Staff

Dan Negrea

Senior Director

Freedom and Prosperity Center

China Economy & Business

Staff

Joseph Lemoine

Deputy Director

Freedom and Prosperity Center

Africa Economy & Business

Former staff

Joel Kesselbrenner

Freedom and Prosperity Center

Economy & Business Inclusive Growth

Staff

Yomna Gaafar

Assistant Director

Freedom and Prosperity Center

Arabic Economy & Business

Fellow

Joseph Mulala Nguramo

Nonresident Fellow

Freedom and Prosperity Center Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Africa China

Advisory Board

Staff

Barry Pavel

Senior Vice President and Director

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Defense Policy Defense Technologies

Staff

Matthew Kroenig

Deputy Director, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Scowcroft Strategy Initiative

China Defense Policy

Fellow

J. Peter Pham

Distinguished Fellow

Africa Center

Politics & Diplomacy National Security

Staff

Ash Jain

Director for Democratic Order, Scowcroft Strategy Initiative

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Scowcroft Strategy Initiative

Europe & Eurasia Indo-Pacific

Content

Resources

Jun 24, 2022

Freedom & Prosperity Grant

We are excited to announce a new Freedom & Prosperity Grants opportunity for Atlas Network partners, launched in collaboration with Atlas Network. Strong candidates for funding will present an achievable strategy for increasing economic, political, and legal freedoms in their country or community. We will consider grant requests of up to $35,000 from Atlas Network partners outside […]

Democratic Transitions Economy & Business

Past events

Jun 17, 2022

Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2022

The Freedom and Prosperity Center, the Atlantic Council’s newest center, had its public launch at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Thursday, June 9. Dan Negrea, the Center’s Senior Director, and Matt Kroenig, Deputy Director of the Scowcroft Center, participated in a panel that discussed their report entitled “Do Countries Need Freedom to Achieve Prosperity?”  The […]

Economy & Business

Press Release

Jun 1, 2022

Atlantic Council Launches Freedom and Prosperity Center

Council’s 16th 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 

Report

Jun 1, 2022

Do countries need freedom to achieve prosperity?

By Dan Negrea, Joseph Lemoine, Matthew Kroenig, Joel Kesselbrenner

The Freedom Index and Prosperity Index are two separate indexes that rank one hundred and seventy-four countries around the world according to their levels of freedom and prosperity.

Civil Society Corruption

Past events

Mar 7, 2022

Workshop on freedom and prosperity in Asia

By Atlantic Council

On February 16, 2022, the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Project, in collaboration with the Centre for Civil Society in India, hosts the fourth and last in a series of virtual workshops on strengthening economic freedom, rule of law, and representative government in different regions across the world.

Democratic Transitions Economy & Business

Past events

Jan 28, 2022

Workshop on freedom and prosperity in Africa

By Atlantic Council

The Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Project, on January 11, 2022, in collaboration with the Centre for Development and Enterprises Great Lakes, Burundi, hosts the third in a series of virtual workshops on strengthening economic freedom, rule of law, and representative government in different regions across the world.

Africa Democratic Transitions

Past events

Nov 3, 2021

Workshop on freedom and prosperity in the Greater Middle East and North Africa

By Atlantic Council

The Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Project, on October 28, 2021, in collaboration with the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East and the Tunisian Council for International Relations, hosts the second in a series of virtual workshops on strengthening economic freedom, rule of law, and representative government in different regions across the world.

Democratic Transitions Economy & Business

Past events

Oct 7, 2021

Workshop on freedom and prosperity in Latin America

By Atlantic Council

The Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Project, on September 28, 2021, in collaboration with the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center and Brazilian think tank Fundacao Getulio Vargas (FGV), hosts the first in a series of virtual workshops on strengthening economic freedom, rule of law, and representative government in different regions across the world.