Atlas Economic Research Foundation · American policy experts and busi- ... upon individual liberty, limited ... 703-352-7530 – Fax [email protected]

As part of Atlas’songoing efforts to

integrate the friends offreedom around theworld and to strengthenand grow the internation-al network of free marketthink tanks, we launchedour International Thurs-day meetings in April2005. One Thursdayeach month we providepeople and groups localto the Washington, DCarea and our overseas vis-itors a forum to exchangeideas and give updates ontheir latest projects.

Atlas took the mod-el of American for TaxReform’s Wednesdaymeetings and adapted it

to fit our own purposes. AtlasPresident Alex Chafuen, whomoderates each meeting, explains,“Seeing the paucity of effortsserving the international “freesociety” community, we decidedto create the International Thurs-day meetings as a forum whereAmerican policy experts and busi-ness leaders and their overseascounterparts can exchange ideas.”

Once Atlas moved to Arling-ton, Virginia, just minutes awayfrom the US capital, we have hadmore visitors from our interna-tional network than ever before.These International Thursdaymeetings help us capitalize on thetalent that comes through ourdoors each month. We are able toprovide our think tank leaders,policy experts, business peopleand academics with a venue wherethey can exchange useful, compet-

ing ideas in an atmosphere ofshared common beliefs. SallyMcNamara (American Legisla-tive Exchange Council, Wash-ington, DC) attends our meetingsbecause “Atlas's forum allowsD.C. analysts to hear from leadingexperts from across the world, aswell as engage in debate abouthow we can best achieve ourshared vision of a society basedupon individual liberty, limitedgovernment and free markets.”

The meetings normally have4 or 5 presenters, who are giventhe floor for five minutes to talkabout their country, company,organization or initiative. Wehave given the floor to: LidaNoory of the IndependentWomen’s Forum (Washington,DC), an organization which seeksto promote women's well beingby advancing the principles ofself-reliance, political freedom,economic liberty, and personalresponsibility; Young Howard ofLiberty Union, a South Koreangroup that works to spread theideas of the freedom in SouthKorea; Todd Lofgren of USAIDon the priorities of its GlobalAlliance Initiative. We also havetime for other participants toannounce events, publications orimportant current issues.

Although the formal pro-gram ends at 11:30, we encour-age all of the speakers and gueststo stay for coffee and networking.Often the topics covered createopportunities for groups to col-laborate with one another or tolaunch new initiatives. One par-ticipant, Kerry Halferty Hardy(American Institute for Con-

temporary German Studies)commented, “Atlas InternationalThursdays’ combination of intelli-gence briefing, idea forum andnetworking are a highly usefulway for me to keep a finger on thepulse of the global movement forliberty.”

A Quarterly Newsletter for the Atlas Network / Summer 2005

T

Atlas Economic Research Foundation

BnethM

InsideNepal: Open to NewIdeas...............................3

FSSO ...............................4

One-on-One with Veselin Vukotic.............. 6

New Economic School-Georgia ........................... 8

Diving In.........................9

Atlas’s International Thursdays: A Forum for Ideas and Networking

Alvaro Vargas Llosa, senior fellow atthe Independent Institute (Califor-nia), spoke at the August Interna-tional Thursday about Indepen-dent’s new Center for Global Pros-perity, which works to bring togetherthe intellectual, moral, and practi-cal analyses necessary to shed light onthe viability of market-based solu-tions.

By Elena ZiebarthAtlas Assoc. Director of Public Affairs

Three of the speakers featured during theJune International Thursday were (fromleft to right) Sabine Herold of LibertéChérie (France), Liu Kin Ming of HongKong’s Apple Daily newspaper, andJamal Barzinji of the InternationalInstitute of Islamic Thought (Virginia).

UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL

THURSDAYS

All of Atlas’s InternationalThursday meetings take placefrom 10:00-11:30AM in theconference room of the Atlasoffices at 2000 N. 14th Street,Suite 550 in Arlington Virginia.

October 20th November 17thDecember 15thJanuary 19th*February 16th **tentative

We encourage anyone who isinterested in attending or present-ing at an International Thursdaymeeting to contact Atlas at [email protected]

2

Atlas EconomicResearch Foundation

The Atlas Economic Research Foundation workswith think tanks and individuals around theworld to advance a vision of a society of freeand responsible individuals, based upon privateproperty rights, limited government under therule of law and the market order. Atlas is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that is supportedsolely by donations from individuals, founda-tions and corporations.

Board of DirectorsWilliam Sumner (Chairman)

John BlundellTim Browne

Alejandro Garza LagüeraDan Grossman

George PearsonHon. James Arthur Pope

Andrea Millen RichRené Scull

Linda WhetstoneHon. Curtin Winsor

StaffAlejandro A. Chafuen

President & Chief Executive OfficerLeonard P. Liggio

Executive Vice PresidentBradley A. Lips

Vice President &Chief Operating Officer

Jo KwongDirector of Institute Relations

Carol Coulter DavisFinancial Assistant

Ann DonaldsonAssistant to the President

Colleen DybleAssociate Director of

Institute RelationsPriscilla Tacujan

Assistant to the Exec. Vice PresidentYiQiao Xu

Program ManagerElena Ziebarth

Associate Director of Public Affairs

Atlas Senior FellowsWilliam DennisPaul K. Driessen

Becky Norton DunlopRomulo Lopez Cordero

Julieta MorenoDeroy Murdock

René Wildermuth

At Atlas

Summer 2005 • Newsletter for the Atlas Network

2000 N. 14th Street, Suite 550 Arlington, Virginia 22201703-934-6969 – Phone

703-352-7530 – [email protected]

Atlas’s Colleen Dyble Speaks in Prague From July 7-29, 2005, Colleen Dyble traveled to

Prague, Czech Republic, with the Fund for Ameri-can Studies (Washington, DC) to participate as ateaching assistant for the economics component oftheir American Institute on Political and EconomicSystems (AIPES) program. The Fund for AmericanStudies has been educating young leaders on the val-ues of freedom, democracy, and free marketeconomies since 1967. This year’s program, in col-laboration with Charles University (Prague, CzechRepublic) and Georgetown University (Washington,DC), attracted 118 students from more than 25countries. Colleen also had the opportunity to givea guest lecture about the international think tanknetwork and was delighted to discover so muchinterest among students in getting involved in think tanks. Colleen also enjoyed con-necting with existing think tanks in Prague, including the Centrum Pro Ekonomiku APolitiku and the Liberalni Institut.

Andrea Millen Rich Joins the Atlas Board of DirectorsThe Atlas Board and Staff are delighted to

welcome Andrea Millen Rich as a new boardmember. Atlas’s Chairman of the Board WilliamO. Sumner commented, “Andrea Rich is the Hip-polyta of the free market movement, and we aredelighted to welcome her to the Atlas board!” JoKwong, Director of Institute Relations at Atlas,seconds Sumner’s enthusiasm saying, “For count-less years, Andrea has been helping Atlas with herimmeasurable knowledge about the books of lib-erty. Our international colleagues have benefitedterrifically from her expertise and friendship.” Pri-or to joining the Atlas Board, Rich was the presi-dent of Laissez Faire Books, an online and mailorder store for classical liberal books.

Atlas in the NewsDuring the summer Atlas’s Alex Chafuen had two columns placed in major publica-

tions: “Hooray for Bollywood” (Washington Examiner, 6/6/2005), which focuses onlabor regulations in India; and “Toward a Community of Democracies” (The Washing-ton Times, 8/22/2005), which comments on how policy institutes worldwide in the Atlasnetwork are more effectively building democracy in their home countries than their gov-ernments or supra-governmental organizations.

Atlas was also featured in the August 11th Frankurter Allgemeine Zeitung article byKaren Horn, entitled “Die wirschaftlichen Freigeister stellen sich auf die Hinterbeine”(“The Economically Free-Spirited Take a Stand”). Horn wrote about the growing num-ber of think tanks worldwide, and how Atlas has contributed to that expansion.

At one reception, Colleen Dyble had thechance to meet US Ambassador to theCzech Republic William J. Cabaniss.Picture from left to right are: Scott Bai-ley, Amb. Cabaniss, Professor MikeVeseth and Colleen.

During the 2005 Liberty Forum in Mia-mi, new Atlas Board member AndreaRich (center) caught up with two 2005Templeton Freedom Award Grant win-ners – James Shikwati (Inter RegionEconomic Network, Kenya) at left andThompson Ayodele (Institute for PublicPolicy Analysis, Nigeria) at right.

I have long been interested in inter-national issues and have traveled

extensively, so when my friends at theAtlas Foundation suggested that I vis-it Nepal to work with local free mar-ket advocates centered around theBoss magazine, I seized the chance.Nepal's freedom environment is diffi-cult. It is relatively poor, but thereseems to be little political commit-ment to undertake the inevitablypainful reform process. Indeed, manyNepalese see no one to championtheir cause. The Maoists, who domi-nate many villages in the countryside,offer a dismal future based on thefailed past.

Since there is no established liber-al political or intellectual movementin Nepal, even a soft voice raised forfreedom can get a hearing. Shaliniand Rakesh Wadhwa have attemptedto fill this gap. The Boss magazine,edited by Shalini, has of necessitybecome the center of Nepalese liberalthinking. Even if continuing regula-tory barriers prevent creation of a for-mal think tank, the Boss can operateas an informal think tank, hostingevents and spreading ideas.

My time in Nepal was extremelyproductive. We had events almostevery day, where I addressed audi-ences ranging from students to publicofficials about the ideas of liberty. By

and large people were open to themessage of liberty; we all hope thatwe've started a debate that will con-tinue in coming months and years.

During my first meeting with theBoss magazine staff, I went over theprinciples of economic freedom andhow they led to economic growth. Iconsulted with editors on article ideasand suggested responses to specificobjections from readers and critics.The writers and editors obviouslywere bright, interested, and commit-ted to making their nation a freer(and thus better) place.

We also held several public ses-sions in both Kathmandu andPokhara. One meeting focused onbusiness leaders and former govern-ment economic and financial officials.(They all are former because the kinghas suspended democratic gover-nance.) Some businessmen andpoliticians would argue that Nepal isfree economically, based on limitedliberalization achieved during the1990s. But Rakesh and otherentrepreneurs would point to perva-sive government incompetence, inef-ficiency, and corruption, which pre-

vent the nation from devel-oping. Some academic participantsin the seminars appeared tosupport the principles ofindividual liberty. A couplenoted that universitiesshould encourage a similardebate. Students have beenin the forefront of recentpro-democracy demonstra-tions and seem particularlyaware that their futuresdepend on achieving a moreopen society.Finally, the media demon-

strated an interest in my visit, which,hopefully, has increased its willingnessto cover future freedom-orientedactivities.

To some degree, though, the lack

of apparent options today leaves fer-tile ground for additional Atlas activi-ties. The public's frustration with thecurrent political players creates anopening for new ideas.

Despite the difficulties currentlyfacing Nepal, there is no reason thatNepalese could not take advantage ofgreater freedom to build a prosperousand ultimately peaceful society.Indeed, Nepal is nestled between twovery large nations, China and India,that are now transitioning fromstatism to markets with great success.If China can escape the ravages ofMaoism, Nepal can avoid the Sirencall of a gaggle of Maoist insurgents.If India can drop a dirigiste econom-ic strategy dating back to Nehru,Nepal can set aside today's ruling col-lectivist nostrums.

But Nepal is unlikely to find itsway toward a freer future based solelyon the efforts of businessmen orpoliticians. The vested interestsremain strong. Thus, Nepalese mustchange their way of thinking. Andthat is most likely to occur throughthe efforts of the Boss and others whoare not only committed to classicalliberalism, but willing to sacrifice inorder to turn Nepal into a free society.

Summer 2005 • Newsletter for the Atlas Network

Nepal: Open to New Ideas

3

One particularly notable meeting took place out-side of Kathmandu in Pokhara, where politicaldiscussions are rarely held. The panelists from leftto right are: Rajendra Lalchan, Anil Chitrakar,Doug Bandow, Ashok Palikhe, and Rakesh Wad-hwa.

Among the attendees at the final dinner were theU.S. ambassador to Nepal James F. Moriarty, formerNepalese government ministers, a members of the localbusiness community, journalists from daily newspapersand business publications, academic leaders, and stu-dents. Bandow (right), Amb. Moriarty (center), andSulo Shrestha Shah speak during a reception.

he

i-

by Doug Bandow, Atlas International Freedom Corps Scout and Cato Institute Senior Fellow

4 Summer 2005 • Newsletter for the Atlas Network

Millions of unknown people,pursuing their own interests,

intending nothing more than theirown advancement, each have con-tributed in small ways to producethe design of the institutions thanwe see around us today. Many ofthe institutions that define humanculture and provide the setting forhuman flourishing—language,property, money, customs, andmores—have arisen through humanintention, but not human design.This theory of spontaneous ordersstems from the Eighteenth CenturyScottish Enlightenment and hasbeen expanded and embellished bya number of contemporary philoso-phers and economists, notably thoseof the Austrian school as exempli-fied in the writings of Ludwig vonMises and F. A. Hayek.

Emphasizing the importance ofindividual initiative and achieve-ment, the need for secure and well-defined rights to property, and theinefficacy of central economic plan-

ning, the theory of spontaneousorders provides a powerful argu-ment in defense of liberty. Animportant contribution to spread-ing free institutions is to encouragescholarship outside of areas of tradi-tional economic research throughan understanding of the develop-ment of spontaneous orders, partic-ularly in the areas of anthropology,sociology, philosophy, and politicaltheory.

In 2001, an anonymous donorcreated Fund for the Study of Spon-taneous Orders (FSSO) at the AtlasEconomic Research Foundation toencourage academic exploration ofthe theory through conferences anda prize program. The donor housedthe Fund at Atlas in acknowledg-ment of his admiration for Atlas’seffective world-wide work in pro-moting the development of theinstitutions of liberty and in itsencouraging of scholarly study andpractical activism on behalf of theclassical liberal order through theTeach Freedom Initiative and todraw upon the wide-ranging knowl-edge of the Atlas staff, in particular,the unparalleled knowledge ofLeonard P. Liggio.

Since its inception the Fund hasconducted several academic confer-ences concerning spontaneousorders. Its main activity, however,has been the awarding of a numberof prizes. The Fund has awardedtwo lifetime achievement prizes of$25,000 each to Vincent and ElinorOstrom, and eight prizes of$10,000 each to scholars whosework exemplifies the interests of theFund. These latter prizes are notawarded for particular scholarlypublications, but acknowledge thesignificance of the recipient’s overallintellectual accomplishment in the

area of spontaneous order studies.Thus the first four prizes went toPierre Desrochers for his studies onthe geography of liberty, to DanielB. Klein for his work on reputationand the nature of our inner selves,to Augustus diZerega for his theoryof spontaneous orders and thedevelopment of democratic institu-tions, and to Paul Dragos Aligica forhis work on Hayekian institutionsand for his study of the intellectualachievements of Vincent Ostrom.

During the spring and summer of2005 the Fund awarded a secondgroup of four prizes that have previ-ously been announced on the Atlasweb page. With enthusiasm, theFund and the Atlas EconomicResearch Foundation salutes thework of David Prychitko, VirgilHenry Storr, David Ciepley, andJames R. Otteson.

David Prychitko’s scholarship isrooted in the work of the 18th cen-tury moral philosophers of the Scot-tish enlightenment. He visualizes aradical reform of social thought,away from neoclassical marginalitytheory and mathematical modelingin economics, towards a broader,philosophically based understandingof all human action. He combines acommitment to methodologicalindividualism with an understandingof the practical significance of thereality of collective wholes. Moreinformation about Prychitko’s writ-ing is included in the Spring 2005Highlights on Page 12.

Virgil Storr, who received hisdoctorate from George Mason Uni-versity (Virginia), has combinedwork in Austrian economics withcultural anthropology, especially inhis study of Caribbean cultures,most notably in his EnterprisingSlaves & Master Pirates: Under-

FSSO Rewards Individual Initiative and Achievement

by William C. Dennis, Ph.D.Atlas Senior Fellow

Recent prize winner David Ciepley (right), Lecturerin Political Philosophy, Policy, and Law at the Uni-versity of Virginia, is a historian and political scien-tist, with a doctorate from the Committee on SocialThought at the University of Chicago (where F. A.Hayek himself once taught). He is pictured withRichard Cornuelle during the January 2005 Spon-taneous Orders conference.

standing Economic Life in theBahamas. Storr demonstrates thatsince the settlement of the Bahamasby pirates and Puritan farmers in the17th century, two ideal types ofentrepreneurs have dominated thecountry’s economic and cultural lifeproducing a unique combination ofthe ethos of the enterprising slave(success through hard work) andthat of the master pirate (successthrough cunning and deception) toproduce the richest independentcountry in the Caribbean. Storr’sdiverse intellectual interests are alsodemonstrated through his profes-sional skills in information technol-ogy as seen in his recent paper,“The Refinement of Our Instru-ments of Interpretation in theKnowledge Economy: On the sig-nificance of XML and Web Ser-vices.”

David Ciepley has wide-ranging,cross disciplinary academic interests,including work on the ScottishEnlightenment, the commercialsociety, the nature of the firm,democratic theory, urban planning,

the “New World Order” and Amer-ican foreign policy. Of special inter-est is Ciepley’s study in CriticalReview, “Authority in the Firm(And the Attempt to Theorize itAway).” Here Ciepley points outmany of the difficulties in assimilat-ing the hierarchically organized firmto any theory of market exchangeand individual liberty. The Fundwill hold a conference related to thistopic in January 2006.

The Fund’s most recent prizegoes to James R. Otteson, a studentof the philosophy of the 18th Cen-tury Scottish Enlightenment, par-ticularly the work of David Humeand Adam Smith. In Adam Smith’sMarket Place of Life, he showsSmith to be an important moralphilosopher, and demonstrates howSmith’s “market place of morality”ties together in a coherent wholeSmith’s Theory of Moral Sentimentswith his more famous The Wealth ofNations. In a number of his writ-ings, Otteson argues that theinsights of the 18th centuryphilosophers have undiminished rel-

evance in our own day. In “Conflictand Social Order: the Contributionof the Adam Smith and the ScottishEnlightenment,” he explainsSmith’s importance to currentdebates in game theory and evolu-tionary psychology on how systemsof morality might emerge out ofinteractions among rationally self-interested, competitive individuals.

Summer 2005 • Newsletter for the Atlas Network 5

James R. Otteson (right), Associate Professor of Philoso-phy and current Chairman of the Department at theUniversity of Alabama, is pictured with Loren Lomasky (left) and Pauline Dixon (center) during the Jan-uary 2005 Spontaneous Orders conference.

Think tanks around the world are increasingly playing a substantial role inthe public policy process. In order to highlight some of the most innovativework being done by this growing group of organizations, the Atlas Eco-

nomic Research Foundation launched in 2003 the Templeton Freedom Awards Program to recog-nize the recent achievements and future promise of independent think tanks.

Win a $10,000 operating grant by applying for the 2006 Templeton Freedom Award Grants for Insti-tute of Excellence! Simply complete the online Institute Survey athttps://survey.atlasusa.org/login.php by November 15, 2005. If you completed last year’s survey,then you must only check and update your institute’s information.

Win a $10,000 cash prize by applying for the Templeton Freedom Prizes for Excellence in Promot-ing Liberty in the categories: Free Market Solutions to Poverty, Social Entrepreneurship, Ethics &Values, and Student Outreach. Complete the 600 word application and send supporting materialsby December 1, 2005 to be considered for a Templeton Freedom Prize. The application form islocated at: http://www.atlasusa.org/programs/tfa/tfa_prize_application.dot

Please contact the TFA Program Manager Ms. YiQiao Xu at [email protected], if you havequestions about this program or how to apply.

APPLY NOW for the 2006 Templeton Freedom Award Program

EZ: How was the Institute for StrategicStudies and Prognoses created? Whatwas the political/cultural/economic cli-mate in your country like at that time?

VV: The founding of the Institutefor Strategic Studies and Prognoses(ISSP) was the logical consequence ofall my previous activities aimed at pro-moting human capital and transform-ing the way of thinking in Montene-gro and at the same time changing theway economics was understood at thetime. Establishing the PostgraduateStudies “Entrepreneurial Economy”(PSEE) at the University of Montene-gro in 1992, putting free market prin-ciples into the curricula at the Schoolof Economics at the University ofMontenegro in 1996, and creating theCenter for Entrepreneurship andEconomic Development (CEED) in1996, all prepared me and my col-leagues for the creation of ISSP. When the reform forces won the pres-idential elections in Montenegro,which was still part of the FederalRepublic of Yugoslavia at the time, thenew government ran away from Milo-sevic and his command economy,towards an open economy, the freemarket, and state independence. Allthese conditions created a favorableenvironment for development of ISSPin 1998.

E: What is the objective of your organi-zation and the principles that inform it?

V: I’ll be honest saying that with ISSPI wanted that small group of youngeconomists and students, who wereinfluenced by Smith, Mises, Hayekand Friedman, to have the possibilityto work and research together andthereby develop the ideas of the openmarket economy in Montenegro. Thatwas the only way to keep the best stu-dents in Montenegro, or give themsomething attractive enough to stay.The goal was to create public opinion

and influence governmentto accept our ideas andimplement them. Newideas and expert knowl-edge in the form of “tran-sition prescription” arenot enough! It is not easyto overcome the resis-tance of the politicians tothe new ideas! You haveto have experience fromworking in the govern-ment, and need to knowthe local culture, customs,center of powers, interestgroups … My studentsalready held many impor-tant positions in the govern-ment, business sector, and other orga-nizations. We felt that it was the righttime to set the foundations for a neweconomic system in Montenegro.

E: What have been your institute’sgreatest achievements over the pastyears?

V: In my opinion, our greatestachievement is the strong criticismthat ISSP is facing. No one in Mon-tenegro is indifferent to the ISSP. Aperson either strongly supports us, orcriticizes us even more! We are beingaccused of creating the “too liberal”and free-market oriented economicsystem that Montenegro has now; weare also “guilty” of the high level ofthe economic freedom in Montene-gro. Opponents say our ‘MontenegrinSchool of Economic Thought’destroyed their “big socialist compa-nies” (80% of the economy has beenprivatized). While criticizing “badthings” no one mentions first measur-able results like: GDP growth rate of5%; inflation rate of 2.9%; budgetdeficit less then 3%In my opinion one of the ISSP’s firststudies, “Conceptual basis of new eco-nomic system in Montenegro,” was

crucial for Montenegro to take overfrom the federal level decision makingfor its economy and to start buildingan economic system independent fromSerbia. From replacing the Yugoslav“dinar” as legal tender with theDeutsch Mark to privatization, ISSPhas played a significant role in thereform processes. . . . In a nutshell,the ISSP is the reform incubator inMontenegro.

E: As Dean of the Graduate School ofEconomics, how has the growth of yourinstitute been based upon the yearlygraduation of students from the gradu-ate economics school of which you arethe dean?

V: Postgraduate Studies "Entrepreneuri-al Economy" (PSEE) played and stillplays a crucial role in the developmentof the economic thought in Montene-gro. In 1992, the year when oldYugoslavia fell apart, the year when warand hyperinflation started, I presentedthe concept of PSEE to the Dean ofthe School of Economics who told me:“You are crazy! Who will think aboutgraduate studies right now? Howmany people will enroll them, if any?Who is willing to pay for the studiesnow?” But, he helped me a lot to get

Institute for Strategic Studies and PrognosesOne-on-One with Veselin Vukotic, President

Veselin Vukotic is the president and one of the founders of the Institute for Strategic Studies and Prognoses in Montene-gro. He is also the Dean of the Graduate School of Economics at the University of Montenegro. Atlas’s Elena Ziebarthspoke with Vukotic to gain his insights on establishing think tanks and spurring people to turn their ideas into action.

Many of the employees at ISSP are former students ofVeselin Vukotic. He is pictured with the students from hisInternational Freedom Project (IFP) course, “Freedom andDevelopment.” IFP, an educational initiative that sup-ported courses that taught the ideas of freedom, ran atAtlas from 1999-2002. These investments continue to benurtured through Atlas’s Teach Freedom Initiative.


“permission” to work. At the Deanwas happy that he was wrong: 21 stu-dents enrolled in PSEE at its incep-tion. This year, the seventh generationof students will graduate from PSEE,which makes about 220 graduatedstudents by now. Almost all employeesat ISSP have graduated at the PSEE(www.psee.edu.cg.yu).

E: How has your institute benefitedfrom visiting professors lecturing toyour graduate students? (Enrico Colom-batto, Steve Pejovich, John Moore, etc.)

V: Without considerable professionaland personal help of four men: StevePejovich, Leonard Liggio, JohnMoore, and Enrico Colombatto, wewould hardly have succeeded! Theydidn’t just provide their knowledge,but they put their hearts into it! Theircontribution is immeasurable! All fourof them are great professors, but evengreater persons. Students like andrespect them immensely! They havebeen coming to Montenegro for thelast 10 years, even when everyone wasescaping from Montenegro. Theygave lectures, influenced students’ wayof thinking, encouraged them, andhelped many of them get scholarshipsto study abroad. You could hear a jokein Montenegro that these four peopleare best Montenegrin professors ofeconomics. . . . Lately, Professor JohnBlundell (Institute of EconomicAffairs, United Kingdom) is very pop-ular among our students, especiallybecause of his attitude towards EU.

E: What do you see as the biggest chal-lenges to economic freedom and liberaldemocracy in your country?

V: In my opinion the largest challenge

that our country has to overcome isthe reform of the state and stateadministration. The ISSP is develop-ing project “Montenegro –Microstate” not only to reduce thecosts of state but to break the generalopinion that “State” is the god andthe largest employer. It is very impor-tant that people understand that soci-ety is not part of the “State;” on thecontrary the state is just a small partof the society. A general belief that“state should take care of me and solveall of my problems”, as a long termconsequence of some historical events,should be transformed into “everyperson should take care of her/himselfand solve his/her own problems”.This is a mental change that the Balka-ns need as a region. This is a processthat takes time and sometimes a gen-erational change of generation. In response to these challenges ISSPhas made proposals for Montenegro,like: reducing public spending from48% of the GDP to 30-32%; reducingthe number of government ministries;abandoning military forces; introduc-ing English as official language; andabolishing all customs and tariff rates.

E: Is there any advice that you have foryoung institutes (anything to avoid?anything that is an absolute necessity?)

V: My advice would be to avoid theempty intellectualism. You shouldn’tbe occupied with lifeless topics, myths;you shouldn’t copy somebody else’sprescriptions! It is a real danger! Everyresearcher at the ISSP is our Institute’sresource. At the same time, the mostvaluable Institute’s property is in theheads of our employees! It is notenough to issue publications, publishbooks, give interviews, and organize

press conferences: if youwant to develop andimplement your ideas youshould step into the ringand fight! You mustreceive few punches in thatfight, but you shouldattack as well! If your ideashave touched somebody’sinterests – you are on theright way! I shouldemphasize that these areexperiences from a cultur-ally specific environment

and from the period when capitalismwas being created. We can’t copytoday’s picture of mature capitalism.Besides, it is very important to under-stand that culture matters and thatculture broadly influence acceptanceof ideas.

E: What do you think are the biggestchallenges to the success of your orga-nization?

V: The biggest challenge we are fac-ing now is how best to further investin our young people – in their courageto change many prejudices and cultur-al values; in their ability to make deci-sions. You need to have a strong willto implement your knowledge andtake all the risks that go along with it!Cowardly people, no matter howsmart they may be, are not changingthe world! Only the courageous andentrepreneurial people are changingthe world! Talking about ideas at theconferences is one thing, but fightingfor their implementation is another! Itis not important only to write and totalk! It is much more important toimplement ideas, because it is the onlyway to change the world around you;and to change yourself as well!

E: How can promoting free marketideas in your country help shape thepolitical and economic environment inyour region?

V: We have always seen Montenegroas a business platform in the region –similar to platforms for the airplanes inthe ocean. A liberal economic systemin Montenegro would attract compa-nies outside of Montenegro to registertheir businesses here and to export itsproducts into the region. It is the pro-cess, which, I could proudly say, hasalready begun: you can establish acompany in Montenegro for just 1EURO. No matter how strong Mon-tenegro is being criticized in theregion because of its liberalism andliberal economy, that criticism con-tributes to the development of freemarket ideas and economic freedomsin the Balkans. My opinion is thatMontenegro will become theMediterranean tiger similar to theAsian tigers in the Far East.

hisand

p-

e

Marijana Mitrovic, Veselin Vukotic, John Mooreand Atlas’s Leonard Liggio in December 2003.


Summer 2005 • Newsletter for the Atlas Network8

The idea of organizing a free-marketthink tank in the Republic of Geor-

gia was born in Auburn, Alabama, USAin August of 2001. At that time the twofuture founders of New EconomicSchool – Georgia (NESG), PaataSheshelidze and Gia Jandieri were visit-ing the Mises Institute, which inspiredthem to create an institute in Georgiathat facilitates change by educating peo-ple.

Before the USSR collapsed, Paataand Gia were co-organizers of the Asso-ciation of the Young Economists ofGeorgia (AYEG) in March 1989. One ofthe main successes of the AYEG was theabolishment of formal Marxian studies inTbilisi State University in September1990, which was an unprecedented eventnot only for Georgia, but also for thewhole Soviet Union. Despite the col-lapse of the Soviet Union, a corrupt statebureaucracy, poverty and moral decline,continued in Georgia. Paata and Gia sawthe need to address the political and eco-nomic problems in Georgia through anindependent educational and researchinstitute, so they founded the New Eco-nomic School.

Before NESG was officially regis-tered in April 2003, it had already orga-nized around 30 private seminars witheconomics students and teachers tointroduce the ideas of mainly the Austri-

an school of economics and classical lib-eralism, together with monetarist, insti-tutionalist, public choice and other mar-ket-oriented economic schools. NowNESG holds 20-25 seminars per yearwith 45 participants on average, includ-ing journalists and politicians. They tack-le topics ranging from theoretical eco-nomics to actual problems of Georgianand international economics.

Aside from these seminars, NESG

has launched an e-newsletter that dealswith current issues in the Georgian econ-omy and government. The newsletteralso contains articles and book chaptersin English, in Georgian, or Russian, orig-inal works from Georgian authors as wellas information about NESG activities.From a readership of just a few hundred,the mailing list has grown to over 3000,which is approximately 5% of all users ofinternet in Georgia.

Since 2001, NESG has strength-ened itself by building partnerships withlike minded institutions around theworld including Mises Institute, CatoInstitute, Heritage Foundation, AtlasFoundation, and Foundation for Eco-nomic Education (all based in the USUS), Hayek Institute (Austria), Fraser

Institute (Canada), Nau-mann Foundation (Ger-many) etc.

After meeting FEEpresident Richard Ebeling atCato’s 2004 Moscow con-ference, NESG and FEEdecided to organize a specialmeeting in Tbilisi, Georgia.In October 2004 a team oflecturers from FEE provideda series of meetings, Eco-

nomic Education: Realities and Alterna-tives, which included lectures at the Tbil-isi State University and the Ministry ofEconomic Development and an intensiveseminar for students and teachers. FEEand NESG will build on the success ofthese seminars by organizing the samekind of seminars in November 2005.

In addition to its educational activi-ties, NESG is actively involved in thepublic policy debate in Georgia bypreparing policy recommendations anddrafting laws on social security, pensions,public sector reforms, deregulation ofthe economy, etc. Many members ofNESG advise the current government,including NESG President Paata Sheshe-lidze, who is a member of the BusinessCouncil of the Prime Minister, andNESG Vice President Gia Jandieri, whois a member of 3 different governmentalcommissions.

Through their work with theFriedrich Naumann Stiftung, NESG hasbeen able to engage in special activitieswith neighboring countries, Armenia andAzerbaijan, to help them establish freemarket think tanks and create a SouthernCaucasian free market network. NESG iscurrently broadening this work toinclude Kyrgyzstan and possibly otherstates of Central Asia. Two members ofNESG were invited to advise the newKyrgyzstan government in June 2005.

The members of New EconomicsSchool of Georgia are very enthusiasticand look toward the future with confi-dence because they believe free marketideas work.

New Economic School – Georgia (NESG)Institute Spotlight

New EconomicSchool

Tblisi, Republic of Georgia

www.economic.ge

During June 2006, NESG organized international conferences inthe Azerbaijani cities Baku and Nabran on the ‘Basics of MarketEconomics’ for university students. From roundtable discussions(top photo) to working groups (bottom photo), NESG works to equipthe students with a better understanding of free market ideas.

At the Cato Institute’s Moscow conferencein April 2004, Dr. James Gwartneyaccepted NESG proposal to translate his,Common Sense Economics, which he co-authored with Richard Stroup andDwight Lee. Gwartney (left) is picturedwith NESG President Paata Sheshelidze.


-

feEfe

eyd,ff,

sdol

essdensorf

w

sc

t

Last year when I visited the UScfor the first time as an intern

for the John Locke Foundation, aconservative think tank in Raleigh,North Carolina, little did I knowthat I would have a chance to meetthe Atlas Economic Research Foun-dation, which was a turning point inmy life.

I visited the Atlas Office duringa short trip to Washington, DC tomeet with Dr. Jo Kwong. We dis-cussed extensively about propertyrights, libertarian philosophy andindividual freedom as they apply inIndia. I found a patient listener inJo who encouraged me to talkabout my dreams, aspirations andbeliefs.

This brief meeting opened up awhole world of opportunities to me.Atlas recommended me to ParthShah, the president of the Centrefor Civil Society, a non-profit free-market think tank in India. Soonafter my return to India I gotabsorbed into one of India's leadingfree-market think tanks, when CCS

hired me as a research associate forglobalization and environment, myexact areas of interest. I neverthought that one single meetingwould put me on the right track andthat I would find a job where mywork and interests match and nur-ture each other.

At CCS, the job of a researcheris to think out of the box, build upa policy framework on how to con-fer property rights to stakeholdersand cut short the red tape. It givesme an opportunity to see a problemfrom a different angle and provide afeasible solution. It gives me animmense satisfaction to moveagainst the tide and I am alwaysthankful to Atlas for providing mewith this opportunity.

My association with Atlas didnot end with CCS. Earlier this yearI got an email from Jo informingme that Atlas has recommended mefor the annual undergraduate semi-nar of the Property and Environ-ment Research Centre (PERC) inBozeman, Montana as an interna-

tional student observer. PERCwould also sponsor my entire tripfrom the US to India. This week-long seminar followed by two weeksof research opportunity at thePERC office provided me withgreat exposure to one of the leadinginstitutes in property rights andenvironmental research. The com-prehensive lectures on propertyrights, pricing of environmentalresources, the viability of the envi-ronment’s Kuznet's Curve, and theensuing discussion sessions betweenthe faculty and the students exposedme to different perspectives. It pro-vided a common platform for stu-dents from different parts of theworld to present their views. Wedebated on the issues, had verbalfights over topics, and sometimeswent mad at each other's argu-ments, but, at the end of it all, eachof us was enriched with each othersviewpoints.

Atlas has been instrumental inexposing me to new ideas and newopportunities during the past year.My future endeavors and successesshall be heavily indebted to theexposure that I have received.Thanks to Atlas as it has opened thewindow to a new world for me andto countless possibilities.

Diving into the World of Freedom

In October 2004, Debanjana Chatterjee (center) visited the Atlas offices with fellowLocke Foundation intern Paul Massino (right). They met with Atlas’s Jo Kwong(left).

Debanjana and the other students at thePERC seminar.

by Debanjana ChatterjeeResearch Associate, Centre for Civil Society, India


Special Pakistan Edition of theEconomic Freedom of the World2004 published by AlternateSolutions Institute

To introduce and promote theconcept of economic freedom in

Pakistan, the Alternate SolutionsInstitute, Lahore, in collaborationwith Friedrich Naumann Founda-tion, Pakistan, recently published aSpecial Pakistan Edition of the Eco-nomic Freedom of the World 2004Annual Report originally preparedand released by The Fraser Institute(Canada). This special Pakistan edi-tion was launched at a hotel in Lahoreon July 7, 2005. Sohail Lashari,Senior Vice President of the LahoreChamber of Commerce and Industrywas the guest of honor. Other speak-ers included Peter-AndreasBochmann, Resident RepresentativeFriedrich Naumann Foundation, Pak-istan, Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, Chair-man Qaiser Group of Companies,Bilal Ahmad, and Dr. Khalil Ahmad.Ms. Gulmina Bilal Project Coordina-tor Friedrich Naumann Foundation,Pakistan, acted as the moderator.

Is Private Education Good forthe Poor? From the E.G. WestCentre

Professor James Tooley, Professorof Education Policy at the Univer-

sity of Newcastle and Director ofE.G. West Centre (United King-dom), has recently published hisresearch report on private schools forthe poor in developing countries.Many believe that the private sectorhas very little to offer in terms ofreaching the Millennium Develop-ment Goal of ‘education for all’ by2015. Private education is oftenassumed to be concerned only withserving the elite or middle classes, notthe poor. The findings from a two-year in-depth study in Hyderabad,India; Ga District, Ghana; LagosState, Nigeria; and Nairobi, Kenya,suggest that these conclusions areunwarranted. Private unaided schools,Tooley and his team argue, can play –indeed, already are playing – animportant, if unsung role in reachingthe poor and satisfying their educa-tional needs. Details can be found onthe Centre’s website atwww.ncl.ac.uk/egwest.

IBL Helps Italian NewspaperProduce “The Classics of Lib-eral Thought”

The Instituto Bruno Leoni (IBL) inItaly is collaborating with Libero, an

Italian right wing daily paper, to producea series of books on "The Classics of Lib-eral Thought.” Based on similar produc-tions, the paper’s marketing office esti-mates that each of the books will sellapproximately 15,000 copies. IBLhelped assemble the collection, whichincludes an anthology of Thomas Jeffer-son edited by Marco Bassani, BenjaminConstant's Principles of Politics, BrunoLeoni's Freedom and the Law, Ludwigvon Mises's Liberalism, Bastiat's TheLaw. Carlo Lottieri, Antonio Martino,and IBL founder Alberto Mingardipenned the prefaces to some of the texts.IBL plans to host several events to launchand feature the collection. Mingardicommented, “I'd like to share my excite-ment about this with you. Never in Ital-ian history has a classical liberal bookenjoyed this kind of circulation: we arespeaking about Leoni and Mises and Bas-tiat being in the houses of 15,000 Italianfamilies!

Network News

Institute Publications

CSID Will Open Offices in Jordan and Morrocco

The Center for the Study ofIslam and Democracy (Wash-

ington, DC) has worked since 1999to promote freedom, democracy,dignity, justice, and good gover-nance in the Arab and Muslimworld. As part of this initiative,CSID will open two regional offices(one in Amman, Jordan and the oth-er in Casablanca, Morocco). Eachoffice will be staffed by at least twopeople (an office director and a pro-gram officer), who will help estab-lish and strengthen CSID’s networkin the Middle East and North

African (MENA) region. CSIDrecently launched its new websitewww.csidonline.org (in English) orwww.csidonline.org/arabic (in Ara-bic). CSID is also working on a Per-sian-language website which shouldbe ready soon. Please address anycomments or suggestions about thenew website to Abdulmajid Biuk at:[email protected]

Mullins Appointed New Execu-tive Director of The Fraser Insti-tute

Mr. R. J. Addington, Chairmanof the Board of Trustees,

announced the appointment of Dr.

Mark Mullins as Executive Directorof The Fraser Institute (Canada),effective September 1, 2005. Theannouncement was made by theInstitute’s outgoing executive direc-tor and co-founder, Dr. MichaelWalker, who will become a SeniorResearch Fellow and President ofthe newly-established Fraser Insti-tute Foundation. “The Board wel-comes Mark to his new positionwith the Institute,” said Addington.“We have been in very good handsindeed with Michael Walker for thepast 31 years and we are certain theInstitute will achieve even greatersuccesses in the years ahead.”

IREF 2005 Essay Contest on Taxation and JusticePRIZE: 20,000 C cash awardDEADLINE: December 15, 2005

France’s Institut de Recherches Economiques et Fis-cales (IREF) is accepting submissions for its 2005 essaycontest, which invites researchers from all fields to focuson various aspects of taxation policy. This year the focuswill be on taxation and justice. For more informationabout the contest, please visit www.iref-europe.org.

Acton Institute’s Novak AwardPRIZE: $10,000 cash awardDEADLINE: October 10, 2005 (Nominations) &November 30, 2005 (Submissions)

Michigan’s Acton Institute is accepting nominations forthe Novak Award, named after the theologian MichaelNovak, which rewards new outstanding research into therelationship between religion and economic liberty. Actonencourages professors, university faculty members, andother scholars to nominate those who are completingexceptional research into themes relevant to the missionand vision of the Acton Institute. For more information,please visit www.acton.org.

2005 Tech Central Station Latin America Essay ContestPRIZE: $2,500 cash awardDEADLINE: October 15, 2005

TechCentralStation.com (TCS) is pleased to announce its2005 essay contest, which seeks to identify the best andbrightest free-market, pro-trade writers and scholarsthroughout Latin America and beyond. This year’s themeis “How Can Free Trade Boost Latin AmericanEconomies?” For rules and requirements, visit www.techcentralstation.com.

Atlas’s Templeton Freedom Award Grant for Institute ExcellencePRIZE: $10,000 grantDEADLINE: November 15, 2005

Templeton Freedom Award Grants for Institute Excellencereward extremely promising think tanks, especially thosethat are operating in difficult environments. To be con-sidered for an Award Grant, institutes must fill out theonline 2005 Atlas Institute Survey.

Atlas’s Templeton Freedom Prizes for Excellence in Promoting LibertyPRIZE: $10,000 cash award for first place; $5,000 cashaward for second placeDEADLINE: December 1, 2005

Templeton Freedom Prizes for Excellence in Promoting Lib-erty recognize outstanding projects within established cat-egories: Free Market Solutions to Poverty, Ethics & Val-ues, Social Entrepreneurship, and Student Outreach. Toapply, please fill out the application form on the Atlaswebsite. The same form is used for each Prize category.Be sure to specify the Prize category for which the Projectshould be considered. Return instructions are printed onthe form.

For rules and submission guidelines, please visit www.atlasUSA.org

New Think Tank Establishedin Romania

Executive Director HoriaTerpe announced with great

pride the official launching ofthe Center for InstitutionalAnalysis and Development atthe Athenee Palace Hilton Hotelin Bucharest, Romania, on May30th, 2005. The Center is aresearch, education and out-reach organization, primarilyfocused on disseminating ideasand principles that advance theinstitutions and the forms oforganization of a free and pros-perous society. Please visit itswebsite (www.cadi.ro) for moreinformation about the Center’sfuture research projects andactivities. It also hosts two blogsites and an online school.

Mejia Revamps ColombianInstitute

On July 5, 2005, a group ofinfluential intellectual and

business leaders launched theInstituto Libertad Y Progreso(ILP) in Bogotá, Colombia. Afree market think tank, its mis-sion is “to promote and defendthe basic principles of Westernliberal democracy: the rule oflaw, individual rights and eco-nomic liberty. According to itsfounders, ILP will work hard tocontribute to the building of apeaceful, free, open, and modernsociety, where privileges andrestrictions to individual free-dom become a thing of the past.For more information, pleasecontact ILP Executive DirectorAndres Mejia-Vergnaud [email protected].

Nigeria’s IPPA AnnouncesEssay Contest Winners

The Institute of Public Pol-icy Analysis (Nigeria)

announced in July the winners ofits 2005 Essay Competition. Thepurpose of the essay is to helpstudents understand what policyoptions need to be pursued in

order to have a prosperouscountry. The theme of the essaycompetition was “Free Enter-prise and Entrepreneurship areEssential Ingredients for Eco-nomic Growth and NationalDevelopment.” The first prizewinner is Adeleye Adebola, abanking and finance major atAdekunle Ajasin University. Sec-ond prize goes to Akwu A. Vic-tor from the University of Agri-culture, Makurdi.

Adebola’s concludes heressay, “Without doubt, it is thedream of the Nigerian govern-ment to have a robust, stableeconomy and prosperous coun-try. These might be a meredream if free enterprise andentrepreneurship are discour-aged through executive fiat andbureaucracies. However, if offi-cials close their books and opentheir eyes, they have much tolearn from developed countriesmany of which have embracedfree enterprise and entrepreneur-ship as the foundation where asound economy can be built.”

FIRE Shines New 'Spotlight'on Campus Censorship

On July 26th, Pennsylvania’sFoundation for Individu-

al Rights in Education (FIRE)officially launched Spotlight:The Campus FreedomResource. Accessible through www.thefire.org/spotl ight,Spotlight organizes FIRE’swealth of information by cam-pus, combining the data on itstwo previously separate websites,thefire.org and speechcodes.org.With one click, friends of libertycan now see a complete pictureof the state of freedom on a giv-en campus: speech codes, FIREcases, media coverage, posts onFIRE’s blog, The Torch, andmore.


Prize Opportunities

=

Below are names and Web addresses (where applicable) of institutes mentioned in this quarter’s Highlights.Visit the Freedom Directory at www.atlasUSA.org for more details on the larger network of market-orientedthink tanks with which Atlas works..

Directory

13th Annual MeetingState Policy NetworkSeptember 29-October 1,2005Charleston, SC, USA

Mises SeminarIstituto Bruno LeoniOctober 7-8, 2005Rome, Italy

Colloquia Cycle to Under-stand Brazil - 5th EditionInstituto LiberdadeOctober 10, 2005Porto Alegre, Rio Grandedo Sul, Brazil

Program of Atlantic Security StudiesPrague Security StudiesInstituteOctober 10-12, 2005Prague, Czech Republic

The Annual John BonythonLectureCentre for IndependentStudiesOctober 11, 2005Sydney, Australia

European Resource Bank –The European “ThirdWay”: the Way Forward?Lithuanian Free MarketInstituteOctober 14-15, 2005Vilnius, Lithuania

Russia: Today, Tomorrow,and in 2008American EnterpriseInstituteOctober 14, 2005Washington DC, USA

2005 Freedom DinnerAtlas Economic ResearchFoundationNovember 9, 2005New York, NY, USA

MOVING and STAYINGin a GLOBAL INDI-ANAPOLISSagamore Institute forPolicy ResearchNovember 9, 2005Indianapolis, IN, USA

This is a sample of the event listings available on the Freedom Calendar on the Atlas Web site (www.atlasUSA.org).

Calendar

Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty(www.acton.org)Alternate Solutions Institute (www.asinstitute.org)American Enterprise Institute (www.aei.org)American Institute for Contemporary German Studies(www.aicgs.org)American Legislative Exchange Council (www.alec.org)Americans for Tax Reform (www.atr.org)Cato Institute (www.cato.org)Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development(www.visit-ceed.org)Center for Institutional Analysis and Development(www.cadi.ro)Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (www.csidonline.org)Centre for Civil Society (www.ccsindia.org)Centre for Independent Studies (www.cis.org.au)Centrum Pro Ekonomiku A Politiku (www.cepin.cz) E.G. West Centre (http://www.ncl.ac.uk/egwest/)European Resource Bank (www.rbeurope.org)F.A. von Hayek Institut (www.hayek-institut.at)Foundation for Economic Education (www.fee.org)Foundation for Individual Rights in Education(www.thefire.org)Fraser Institute (www.fraserinstitute.ca)Friedrich Naumann Stiftung (www.fnst.org)Fund for American Studies (www.tfas.org)Heritage Foundation (www.heritage.org)

Imani: The Centre for Humane Education(www.imanighana.org)Independent Institute (www.independent.org) Independent Women’s Forum (www.iwf.org)Institut de Recherches Economiques et Fiscales (www.iref-europe.org)Institute for Public Policy Analysis – Nigeria(www.ippanigeria.org)Institute for Strategic Studies and Prognoses(www.psee.edu.cg.yu/isspm.htm)Institute of Economic Affairs (www.iea.org.uk)Instituto Liberdade (www.il-rs.com.br)Instituto Libertad y Progreso - ColombiaInter Region Economic Network (www.iren.org)International Institute of Islamic Thought (www.iiit.org)Istituto Bruno Leoni (www.brunoleoni.org)John Lock Foundation (www.johnlocke.org)Liberalni Institut (www.libinst.cz)Liberté Chérie (www.liberte-cherie.com)Liberty Union (www.new-right.com)Lithuanian Free Market Institute (www.freema.org)Ludwig von Mises Institute-Alabama (www.mises.org)New Economic School-Georgia (www.economic.ge)Prague Security Studies Institute (www.pssi.cz)Property and Environment Research Centre (www.perc.org) Sagamore Institute for Policy Research (www.sipr.org)State Policy Network (www.spn.org)

Atlas Economic Research Foundation · American policy experts and busi- ... upon individual liberty, limited ... 703-352-7530 – Fax [email protected]

Documents