The Indonesian think tank won the $100,000 award for its work to remove trade barriers in Indonesia's food sector, liberating billions of dollars in international commerce and transforming the country’s protectionist outlook on trade.

Any self-employed person in Spain must pay €4,000 annually just to operate, whether they have an income or not. This understandably contributes to a youth unemployment rate of over 40 percent, and Roxana Nicula of Fundación para el Avance de la Libertad (Fundalib) plans to draw attention to the adverse effects this policy has on youth entrepreneurship in the country. 

The film—produced by Free the People—showcases the real-life example of Longmont, Colorado, to present a new approach to policing that brings together victims, offenders, police officers, and members of the community to find fulfilling solutions to criminal justice. 

“My own character, my own way of thinking is that my life isn’t about myself,” says Hong Kong mogul and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai in a surprise interview with Atlas Network CEO Brad Lips. “My life is about something more than myself. And fighting for it makes my life so much more meaningful.”

“I encourage the local advocates for freedom to believe in themselves,” says Dr. William Easterly in an interview with Dr. Tom G. Palmer about the unintended consequence of top-down models of foreign aid. “They know much better than I do or any American or European expert coming in with a ‘brilliant plan’ what the solutions for their own society are for greater freedom and greater prosperity.”

Along with Professor Carlos Newland (Argentina) and Pál Czeglédi (Hungary), Atlas Network CEO Brad Lips unveiled a new study that illuminates whether the Overton Window is moving toward, or away from, free-market policy solutions. The Global Index of Economic Mentality (GIEM) is a cross-country study that measures popular support for economic freedom. Where GIEM scores are high, people do not expect government to play a major role in directing or regulating economic activity, or in redistributing income. The populations of these countries largely favor an institutional framework that prioritizes private initiative, free competition, and personal responsibility.

Professor David Schmidtz of the University of Arizona provided the answer in the 8th Annual Liggio Lecture. Schmidtz thanked Liggio for showing him “what kind of man a scholar can be” and discussed the evolution of philosophy after the Scottish Enlightenment.

The film, produced by Freedom and Entrepreneurship Foundation in Poland, features Mises’ intellectual journey and contributions to the economic field of study and offers a glimpse into his personal life. Mises was not just an economist and author—he was a loving husband, a refugee from war-torn Europe, and a friend to many. 

Renowned historian and author Johan Norberg analyzes the modern phenomenon of “cancel culture” and the dangers it poses on intellectual growth in both this written commentary and his Cornerstone Talk at Liberty Forum. His conclusion is that the only solution to cancel culture is to promote a society of open-minded individuals, thereby cultivating “a culture of openness.” Norberg’s latest book, Open: The Story of Human Progress was published two days ago.

Atlas Network convened its annual conference and gala online for the first time, and it was a smashing success with over 1,000 people tuning in from around the world. By popular demand, we’ve created this legacy microsite where anyone can view the full program.