Atlas Economic Research Foundation

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The Atlas Economic Research Foundation was founded in 1981 by Antony Fisher. After having founded the Institute of Economic Affairs in London in 1955, Fisher had helped in the establishment of the Fraser Institute, the Manhattan Institute and the Pacific Research Institute in the 1970s. Fisher conceived of Atlas as a means of institutionalizing his work to replicate the “independent think tank” model all over the world.

Today, it convenes workshops, runs prize programs, and provides advisory services in order to continue growing and strengthening an informal network of more than 250 think tanks that exist in 70 different countries.

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[edit] History

With a modest $4 million dollar budget in 2003 and a staff of eight, Atlas Economic Research Foundation is on a mission to populate the world with new "free market" voices. In its 2003 review of activities, "Investor Report," Atlas said that it worked with "70 new think-tank entrepreneurs from 37 foreign countries and several states of the U.S.," including Lithuania, Greece, Mongolia, Ghana, the Philippines, Brazil and Argentina.

The mission of Atlas, according to John Blundell (president from 1987 to 1990), "is to litter the world with free-market think-tanks."

Named after the Greek god condemned to bear the heavens on his shoulders, Atlas identifies, screens and offers initial support to individuals and groups who want to create local think tanks. "Our ideal 'intellectual entrepreneur,'" says Atlas, is "someone who communicates effectively with businessmen, academicians and the general public." By facilitating the establishment of local think tanks, Atlas increases both the reach and local credibility of their "free market" message, thereby having "the most cost-effective impact."

Since its formation in 1981, Atlas has provided over $20 million in grants to think tanks that have passed its screening process. Atlas aims, it says, to "increase that amount tenfold in the next decade." In 2003, a little over $2 million of Atlas's 2003 budget was passed on to other think tanks. While the large conservative foundations take the approach of making large sustained and often untied grants, Atlas believes less is more, providing new think tanks with only small grants of $5,000 or less. Atlas weans their fledgling projects off this modest annual funding within five years, making exception only for specific innovative projects.

Atlas often gives support to enable think tank leaders to participate in conferences that feature training sessions on non-profit management, and that provide opportunities to network with and learn from peers at other market-oriented institutes. Some of these conferences are organized by Atlas itself, such as its annual Liberty Forum meeting. In other instances, workshops are hosted by think tanks in the Atlas network.

Much of the training that Atlas facilitates is focuses on how to "communicate the message of liberty” (to use the title of a 2003 workshop organized by Atlas which featured Vince Breglio of the market research and public relations company, Wirthlin Worldwide "Download pdf copy of presentation" - 450k file). Atlas also maintains a toolkit of management resources on its Web site that encourage think tanks to protect their independence by avoiding partisan affiliations, developing a diverse funding base, and eschewing government funding.

Atlas events also feature prominent intellectual and policy leaders, such as Milton Friedman, Hernando De Soto, José María Aznar, Mart Laar, Charles Murray, Walter Williams, and Francisco Flores. Atlas also runs prize programs in order to recognize high quality work by think tanks. Its Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Prize has been given annually since 1990. In 2004, it launched the Templeton Freedom Awards, made possible by funding from mutual fund pioneer Sir John Templeton.

Atlas' think tanks, Chaufen continued, have "remarkable successes" even though they were often faced with "unsympathetic local traditions and ideas. Still, these think tanks have become one of the first places opinion leaders and policy makers go when they are looking for market-based solutions to difficult social, economic or environmental problems".

While Atlas calculates that its "family" comprises approximately one-third of the world's 470 "market oriented" think tanks, it worries that "many young think tanks lack know-how regarding reaching the media and communicating a message effectively."

[edit] Affiliations

Some of the other organisations that Atlas has supported include:

Closely affiliated organisations include:

They have a database called Freedom Directory with basic information about 600+ think tanks and similar organizations.

[edit] Funding

Atlas is not endowed and does not accept government funding. All of its programs depend upon the generosity of foundations, individuals, and corporations that share our belief in the importance of independent research. In 2006, foundations represented 66.5% of Atlas's contributions, with individuals and corporations accounting for 28.1% and 5.4%, respectively.

Although less than 6% of Atlas’s funding comes from corporations, critics are suspicious of contributions by known corporate donors including ExxonMobil, which according to the Greenpeace website ExxonSecrets.org, has contributed over $780,000 since 1998.[1] Exxon itself discloses contributions of $65,000 in 1998 (then Exxon) [1] and $50,000 during 2002. [2]

Atlas requires its protégé think tanks to be "independent." "That is, independent of corporations, independent of governments, independent of political parties and even independent of universities," Atlas President Alejandro A. Chaufen said in an April 1999 interview. More recently, Atlas Executive Vice President Leonard Liggio stressed the same theme: "If the think tank community is to thrive -- and with it, the corporations that succeed best in an environment of economic freedom -- institutes will need to vigorously protect their independence. Corporations, in turn, must be careful not to unwittingly undermine the reputations of think tanks, by restricting think tank funding to projects that merely advance short-term business goals."

In a May 1998 fundraising pitch to tobacco giant Phillip Morris, Chaufen explained that keeping its think tanks off the dole of political parties, universities, government agencies and lobbies "helps keep their ideas and recommendations untainted by real or perceived political or organizational ties" and "helps protect them and us against potential scandal. Think tanks tied to politicians and parties can easily become instruments of corruption. Indeed, in several instances, public officials have enriched themselves and their allies through the 'think tanks' they control," Chaufen wrote.

In 1995 alone Philip Morris contributed $475,000 to Atlas according to an internal budget document released as part of the settlement of the legal action brought by several U.S. states' attorneys general. In 1997, despite a tight budget, PM staff recommended Atlas receive $150,000 because of the organization's ability, through its events and public advocacy work, to "positively impact the regulatory environment, particularly in Latin America." The think tanks fostered by Atlas, PM staff wrote approvingly, results in "an improved operating environment for all PM businesses."

More recently and more significantly, Atlas has gained financial support from the philanthropist and mutual fund pioneer, Sir John Templeton. The Templeton Foundation contributed $2 million to Atlas in 2003 to establish the Templeton Freedom Prizes for Excellence in Promoting Liberty. Within the program, prizes of $10,000 for the winner and $5,000 for the runner up have been given in categories such as "market-oriented poverty programs; ethics and values; social entrepreneurship and student outreach."

[edit] References

  1. ^ ExxonSecrets Factsheet: Atlas Economic Research Foundation, Atlas; AERF (html). exxonsecrets.org.
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[edit] External links

This article uses content from the SourceWatch article on Atlas Economic Research Foundation under the terms of the GFDL.
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