SERBIAN THINK TANK, ECONOMIC SOCIAL POLICY INSTITUTE, RECEIVES THE 2007 FREDA UTLEY PRIZE FOR ADVANCING LIBERTY
ARLINGTON, VA, November 6, 2007– The Atlas Economic Research Foundation is pleased to announce that the Economic Social Policy Institute (ESPI) of Belgrade, Serbia has won the 2007 Freda Utley Prize for Advancing Liberty. Established in 2001, ESPI conducts educational programs that promote Serbia’s transition into a modern democracy with a dynamic market economy. ESPI is founded on the principles of academic excellence and independence, endorsing the ideas of the rule of law and the free society.
Named for the late Freda Utley, an outspoken writer and commentator against totalitarian regimes like the Soviet Union and China, this $10,000 prize rewards the efforts of think tanks in difficult parts of the world that are most effective in disseminating the ideas of freedom. ESPI was selected by a panel of judges as this year’s Prize winner based upon its demonstration of excellence in reaching and persuading new audiences about the importance of freedom.
ESPI developed from the success of the Summer School of Economics, which was launched in 1998 and remains the institute’s flagship program. The Summer School trains future leaders about the principles of economic freedom, individual liberty and responsibility, and limited government under the rule of law – principles that are essential for the development of a peaceful and prosperous Serbia. This year’s Summer School addressed the thoughts of the Chicago and Austrian Schools of free-market economics.
ESPI’s Summer School was launched as an additional educational opportunity for gifted students in their final years of university study. Its rigorous selection process adds to its strong reputation for providing excellent training and developing a network of future policy leaders in Southeast Europe. The 400+ young people trained through this intensive program come from throughout Central and Eastern Europe, and many now hold key positions in universities, government ministries and the private sector.
A judge for this prize remarked, “ESPI, working in a poor and formerly communist country, can have great impact on the freedoms that Serbia so badly needs. By teaching young professionals about the values of the free market their work will be leveraged many times over, and will prevail for many years to come.”
In 2005, the Freda Utley Foundation established this Prize at the Atlas Economic Research Foundation because, in the words of Freda Utley’s son, Jon Utley, “Atlas’s core beliefs are very much in tune with Freda Utley’s, namely, concern for human poverty and misery, and the belief that peoples of all nations have similar aspirations and can learn the universal lessons of freedom and prosperity.” The 2007 Freda Utley Prize attracted 87 applications from 50 countries this year.
The formal presentation of the Utley Prize will occur at Atlas’s Freedom Dinner event in Washington DC on November 6, 2007. For more information about the Economic and Social Policy Institute, please visit www.institutespi.org.
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The Atlas Economic Research Foundation is a U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that works as an international hub for think tanks advancing the ideas of freedom. Please contact 703-934-6969 or visit www.atlasUSA.org for more information about Atlas and the Freda Utley Prize for Advancing Liberty
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