CGEG Mission

MISSION: IDEAS INTO ACTION

The principle mission of the Center for Global Economic Growth (CGEG) is to work with public policy organizations which advocate free markets and limited government, and to assist them in developing citizen action groups to promote policies that will foster economic growth and opportunity.

Public policy problems are becoming global as the economies of the world are increasingly integrated. Issues, such as the environment, business and personal taxation, and financial regulation, no longer end at national borders. High-tax states pressure low-tax states to increase their taxes. Countries with strong environmental restrictions pressure those with lower standards to raise them regardless of the costs to their own populations. Many financial regulations, particularly those issued by international organizations, have the effect of placing destructive burdens on capital formation and capital importing nations and of reducing global growth.

In 1947, F. A. Hayek and several other classical liberal scholars formed the Mont Pelerin Society with the goal of keeping the torch of free market democratic capitalism alive as the world increasingly became socialist and infected with welfare statism.

CGEG is Bringing Ideas into Action

“Countries which have a strong rule of law, protect private property, engage in relatively free trade, have free markets, use a sound currency, and maintain relatively low levels of government spending, taxing, and regulation, will grow much more rapidly than those countries that do not follow these constructive policies.”

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Rob Jordan
VP, Grassroots Campaigns

The Mont Pelerin Society spawned free market think tanks beginning with the Institute for Economic Affairs in London. Over the last two decades, think tanks have been formed in many countries so that now there are several hundred around the globe. Many of these think tanks produce first-class research and do an excellent job in disseminating ideas.

As a result of their collective work and that of many academic scholars, there is now widespread agreement that countries which have a strong rule of law, protect private property, engage in relatively free trade, have free markets, use a sound currency, and maintain relatively low levels of government spending, taxing, and regulation, will grow much more rapidly than those countries that do not follow these constructive policies.

However, politicians in most countries continue to resist necessary changes because they often do not perceive it in their self-interest to do so. To overcome this problem, FreedomWorks and other organizations have established grassroots networks (i.e., citizen activists) in the United States to bring about constructive change. But outside of the U.S. such grass roots networks are almost non-existent, even though many of these countries have very fine think tanks. Issues, like tax competition and environmental and financial regulation based on sound cost-benefit analysis are truly global in scope, and hence constructive policies and legislation need to be promulgated in many countries to maximize economic well-being for all the world’s peoples.

CGEG, working through FreedomWorks, provides assistance and training to free market think tanks, taxpayer associations, and other organizations, promoting limited-government solutions, outside of the U.S. to help enable them to create effective grassroots networks to bring about the necessary policy changes through the political processes in their own countries.

CGEG:

Brings together experts from FreedomWorks and other organizations with officials of think tanks and taxpayer associations outside the U.S. to assist them in developing their own grassroots operations, much like FreedomWorks has done in the individual states in the U.S.

Works closely with major U.S. think tanks (Heritage Foundation, American Enterprise Institute, Cato Institute, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Atlas Economic Research Foundation, Institute for Research on the Economics of Taxation, etc.) and activist organizations (Americans for Tax Reform, the American Council for Capital Formation, the International Council for Capital Formation, Center for Freedom and Prosperity, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, etc.) to bring their policy and political organization experts together with those in other countries who are trying to create grassroots networks.

Works with members of several networks in Europe who desire the assistance of FreedomWorks and the other organizations in the broad free market coalition.

Assists the new grassroots organizations in obtaining initial funding and provides expertise in fundraising so their grassroots affiliates can become self-sustaining.

Assists in coalition building with free market think tanks and grassroots political organizations throughout the world.

CGEG rarely produces public policy papers in its own name because of its focus on helping grass roots activities. It, however, helps disseminate and promote the good work of other free market public policy organizations and scholars.

One project that CGEC has already undertaken is to sponsor the Standard Book of Economic Terminology and Concepts, a free market dictionary/glossary, originated by Ruta Vainiene of the Lithuanian Free Market Institute. The Lithuanian language edition has just been completed, and the initial English language master edition is now being prepared. This book will be made available on-line to free market public policy organizations around the globe to translate into their national languages. German, Russian, French, Arabic, and Spanish language versions of the book are expected within the next several years. It will be an on-going work, supervised by an international group of recognized scholars.

CGEG, as part of the FreedomWorks Foundation, is a tax deductible 501 (C) 3 organization. The board of the Freedom Works Foundation includes The Hon. Richard K. Armey (former Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives) and Matt Kibbe, President of FreedomWorks.