Economics
Econ 101: Remove obstacles, create opportunities.
The absence of economic opportunity is correlated with dramatically higher rates of violence. This is evident in concentrated areas within the U.S., just as it manifests globally in the link between terrorism and a lack of economic opportunity. Yet poverty eradication does not seem to be a priority among our top economists or a major focus of economic endeavors.
Among the Institute’s top goals are the removal of obstacles and the creation of economic opportunities, as well as partnering with organizations in every sector to pursue measurable progress in their communities. Our Action Guide provides small and large solutions, and our educational tools inform people of all ages relative to what works and what does not work in addressing poverty.
The Institute also examines successful economic systems, comparing mini economies with large ones and identifying what provides the most freedom and potential. With a critical lens, we examine successes and failures in current welfare and charity-based approaches and focus on a U.S. poverty-industrial complex that has grown dramatically in size and cost but minimally in impact during the past 60 years.
Free market economies such as the U.S. contain sufficient resources to ensure that everyone has enough. Similarly, in our world, as a whole, there are numerous ways to ensure that people can live without constant struggle to find food or to live in safety. Yet neither has manifested, and the Institute is committed to solving these issues in communities around the world.
