The Freedom and Prosperity Equation

The Atlantic Council Freedom and Prosperity Center has assembled this collection of essays exploring the relationship between freedom and prosperity. Thirty scholars and political leaders from twelve countries have contributed seventeen essays, together making the case that durable prosperity is achieved in countries with economic, political, and legal freedom. The Freedom and Prosperity Center aims to increase the well-being of people everywhere and especially that of the poor and marginalized in developing countries through unbiased, data-based research on the relationship between prosperity and economic, political, and legal freedoms, in support of sound policy choices. 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 of nearly every country in the world. This collection of essays is based, in large part, on these Indexes – the unique insights that emerge from their close study, and the questions they raise for decision makers worldwide.