The Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy entered the education policy discussion just five years ago. Today, it’s celebrating the passage of the Hope Scholarship, which is being touted as “the nation’s most inclusive education savings account program.” The passage of West Virginia House Bill 2013, signed into law by Governor Jim Justice a month ago, is being hailed as a major win for education choice, creating opportunities for families in the state to create an education experience tailored to meet the learning needs of their children. Atlas Network is proud to have supported Cardinal extensively as they pursued this important work, and we were happy to catch up with Cardinal's executive director, Garrett Ballengee, on this episode of AtlasNexus about the reform.

On May 6th, FEE hosted what will likely be verified as the largest economic educational webinar recorded. Over 9,750 attendees learned about the broken window fallacy, supply and demand, opportunity cost, and the division of labor (recording). Students will deepen their learning with FEE’s online resources, classroom materials, and in future events, such as the FEE Academy and Entrepreneur Week. Atlas Network is proud to support FEE en Español with grant funding.

Years ago at a "speed networking" session of Atlas Network's Liberty Forum, a Swiss free-trade advocate met the founder of the Center for Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS), a long-standing Atlas Network partner. The connection became especially important this past month, when Switzerland held a national referendum on a free trade agreement with Indonesia. Our friends in Switzerland were involved in the campaign in favor of the trade deal, emphasizing all the good that free trade would deliver to the people of both Indonesia and Switzerland. They realized that the public debate would be enhanced by hearing directly from Indonesians—like those at CIPS—who took on a central role in emphasizing the benefits of free trade. In fact, CIPS' head of research, Felippa Amanta, spoke directly and publicly to Swiss President Guy Parmelin (see here, at minute 11).

The movement to advance human freedom and flourishing has lost one of its most effective communicators. Bob Chitester (1937-2021), a kind and gentle, persistent and persuasive advocate for liberty, has passed away after a seven-year battle with cancer. A recipient of the 2016 Sir Antony Fisher Lifetime Achievement Award, Chitester brought the insights and clear economic logic of Nobel laureate economist Milton Friedman to millions of television viewers around the world before founding Atlas Network partner Free To Choose Network to further convey the beauty of liberty in sophisticated visual documentaries. Read Atlas Network’s celebration of his life and contributions to the freedom movement.

“Lithuania’s second lockdown is no different from the first one: there are no clear principles for economic relief, individual groups are fighting for their own interests, and the government is forced to constantly alleviate the emerging effects of the quarantine,” writes Elena Leontjeva, president of Atlas Network partner Lithuanian Free Market Institute, in this provocative analysis. “It is now up to the courts to determine whether the lockdowns were mandated lawfully or whether the state must compensate for the damage it caused. Today, however, we need a practical answer to the main question: if restrictions are necessary, what should the government’s contract be with its people? And what should the compensation be for their loss of livelihood?”

Policymakers, business leaders, and world-renowned scholars from across the Americas—including thought leaders from our Center for Latin America—came together on April 30 to participate in the 28th edition of the Alamos Alliance, addressing questions such as how ultra-loose “countercyclical” fiscal and monetary policies will affect macro performance in developing countries; whether or not digital currencies will lead to a market-based scenario of competing private monies in the not-so-distant future; how the prospect of a central digital currency would transform traditional banking and capital market systems; and how long Latin American economies will have to endure the lockdown policies spurred by the pandemic; among many more.

You won’t want to miss an exclusive interview with Lilo Vilaplana—the Cuban-born director and screenwriter of the acclaimed 2021 film Plantados, which documents the brutal horrors inflicted upon dissidents and the opposition—conducted by Sergio Sarmiento of Caminos de la Libertad. To get this exclusive content, register to attend Latin America Liberty Forum Online 2021 today.

Dr. Gurcharan Das is an Indian economist and a graduate of Harvard University, the former CEO of Procter & Gamble India, and a Times of India columnist who has also been published in the Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, and New York Times. He is the author of an acclaimed trilogy of books—and, at #AsiaLF21—he will deliver an extremely relevant keynote called “How Should Governments & Institutions Respond to Crises?” This keynote will be one of the highlights of your week so be sure to register today.

Anders Åslund, one of the world’s leading authorities on the collapse of the Soviet economy, will be featured in a closing keynote interview at Europe Liberty Forum Online 2021. As a foremost expert on emerging politics in Eastern Europe, he will engage in an exciting discussion with Tom Palmer on economic reforms since the fall of the Soviet Union and their regional impact. You won’t want to miss this one-of-a-kind conversation, so register to attend the event today!

Africa Liberty Forum Online 2021 will start with a bang! Olumayowa Okediran (Students For Liberty, Nigeria) and Bruce Vaillant (Centre For Development and Enterprises Great Lakes, Burundi) will lead the highly anticipated plenary session, examining who on the continent needs economic freedom the most in 2021. Register to attend the event today.