Entrepreneurship and Economic Development is a major research area of CFR's Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy initiative. The business environment necessary for entrepreneurship to flourish is closely related to the political environment needed for stable democracy. Problems such as capricious state authority, corruption, and poor education hinder both private enterprise and democratic governance. Entrepreneurship itself can also serve as a potent antidote to excessive state authority. However, the correlation between economic and political freedom is far from exact. The Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy initiative aims to understand how best to promote entrepreneurship and its connection to broader economic growth and democracy. One priority is women’s roles as entrepreneurs and contributions to economic development, especially in post-conflict settings.
Please see below for relevant publications.
Gayle Tzemach Lemmon discusses concerns by Afghan entrepreneurs over the future of their economy as the United States draws down its troops and military presence from Afghanistan.
See more in Afghanistan, Wars and Warfare, Economic Development
Jagdish Bhagwati and Arvin Panagariya say recent election results, favorable central bank policy, and the resiliency of previous reforms should give hope for India's economic future.
See more in India, Economic Development, Emerging Markets, Geoeconomics
Brazil's economy depends too much on high commodity prices, and as demand falls, so may Brazil.
See more in Brazil, Economic Development
Joshua Kurlantzick warns that while investors may look on Burma as a potential emerging market, they should be aware that Burma has experienced periods of short-lived openness before.
See more in Burma/Myanmar, Democracy and Human Rights, Emerging Markets, Political Movements
Hernando de Soto, President of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy, which advises heads of state and governments worldwide; Author, The Other Path: The Invisible Revolution in the Third World and The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow and Director of the Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative, Council on Foreign Relations
See more in Middle East, Civil Society
Addressing Egypt's economically debilitating subsidy system will be hard amid political transition, but with the country's social contract under review, the time is ripe for reform needed to put the country on a more viable economic path, says CFR's Isobel Coleman.
See more in Egypt, Economic Development, International Finance
Jagdish Bhagwati criticizes President Obama for nominating Jim Yong Kim to the World Bank presidency over candidates who would pursue pro-reform, pro-growth policies.
See more in Nigeria, United States, Economic Development, International Finance, World Bank, Presidency
China faces growing internal and external calls for economic and political reforms. Expert Minxin Pei looks at the political transition under way and discusses prospects for change.
See more in China, Democratization, Economic Development
Joshua Kurlantzick explores the challenges of Myanmar's business environment.
See more in Burma/Myanmar, Democracy and Human Rights, Emerging Markets
Sebastian Mallaby argues that the internationalization of the renminbi is less a sign of China's rise than of China's internal confusion.
See more in China, Economic Development, Emerging Markets, Geoeconomics, International Finance
Global discussions on Afghanistan tend to be dominated by security issues, but a conference marking ten years since the ouster of the Taliban must focus on economic growth and development, say experts.
See more in Afghanistan, Economic Development
Terra Lawson-Remer urges the U.S. Congress to safeguard funding for multilateral development banks as blanket budget cuts loom.
See more in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nation Building, Economic Development, World Bank, Foreign Aid
Joshua Kurlantzick says Europe is turning to emerging economies to help solve its debt crisis, but it's too bad they can't deliver.
See more in Russian Fed., EU, China, Emerging Markets, Financial Crises, EU
Joshua Kurlantzick explores Deng Xiaoping's legacy in his review of Ezra Vogel's Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China and Henry Kissinger's On China.
See more in China, Democratization, Nationalism, Economic Development, Society and Culture
Marty Natalegawa, minister of foreign affairs for the Republic of Indonesia, analyzes Indonesia's robust political and economic growth over the past year, as well as the country's role in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
See more in Indonesia, Economic Development
Pham Binh Minh, minister of foreign affairs for the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, analyzes Vietnam's relationship with the United States and the surrounding nations, and outlines the country's strategy for economic growth.
See more in Vietnam, Economic Development
Pham Binh Minh, minister of foreign affairs for the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, analyzes Vietnam's relationship with the United States and surrounding nations, and outlines the country's strategy for economic growth.
See more in Vietnam, Economic Development
Gayle Tzemach Lemmon discusses Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's address to APEC's Women and the Economy Summit.
See more in Asia, Economic Development, Women
Nicholas Consonery, Evan A. Feigenbaum, Damien Ma, Michael Meidan, and Henry Hoyle argue that China's capital-intensive, export-oriented growth model is delivering diminishing returns and threatens to become a major political vulnerability for the government, and China's leaders must overcome political restraints to implement a comprehensive and ambitious rebalancing agenda.
See more in China, Economic Development, Trade
Elizabeth Economy argues that the biggest challenge that China faces may be lack of access to clean water.
See more in China, Economic Development, Environmental Pollution, Natural Resources Management
For more on what the United States and others can do to foster open, prosperous, and stable societies, visit CSM&D.
