In most countries, the productivity of enterprise and entrepreneurship is limited by bad economic policies. At their best, think tanks can be catalysts to policy reforms that create free competition, enabling enterprise that benefits customers, employees, and the wider society. Moreover, they play important roles in driving the local rhetoric around which entrepreneurship is understood. This latter phenomenon was found by economic historian Dierdre McCloskey to be a key explanatory factor in observing significant positive changes in economic growth.
Atlas Network recognizes its greatest asset is the think tank network it connects across 98 countries, and that it can create highly leveraged outcomes by inspiring more ambitious, more effective work by these partners. Over time Atlas staff have learned that the key to increased production from our partners in the non-profit sector is the same as in the for-profit sector: competition.
The more exposure think tank professionals have to “what works” and the more competitive pressure they feel from increased interaction with their high-performing peers, the more likely they are to innovate successfully to achieve positive reforms.
This project will lead to entrepreneur liberating reforms in the economy by harnessing this unique insight of creating competition among think tanks, focusing on the following cycle elements:
-Grants supporting innovative plans to enable “enterprise and entrepreneur-liberating” policy reforms
- Conferences where we assemble partners to create an environment of friendly competition
-Awards recognizing those think tanks that achieve the most remarkable outcomes
-Training based on case studies of award-winning projects that other partners will replicate in their countries.
These activities will all celebrate and give global publicity to our theme – liberating enterprise and entrepreneurship - via events in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.
