The Stiftung Marktwirtschaft (Market Economy Foundation) is a liberal German economic think tank which counts several leading liberal German economists as members and contributors.
The foundation belongs to the Stockholm Network. The scientific advisory committee associated with the think tank is known under the name “Kronberger Kreis.” Since 1998, the foundation has awarded Wolfram Engels Prize ("Wolfram-Engels-Preis").
The foundation was founded in 1982 under the name “Frankfurter Institut.” Since 2001, it has been based in Berlin, Germany. According to its statements, the foundation does not receive state funding and is financed through the sale of its publications, donations, and membership fees. The directors of the foundation are Bernd Raffelhüschen and Michael Eilfort, who was the chief of staff of German Christian-Democrat politician Friedrich Merz. Among the foundations past economic contributors was Gerhard Schick, the financial speaker of the German Green Party.
The primary areas of focus of the foundation include the labor market, the social security system, resources, and taxation. In contrast to other like-minded initiatives, the foundation implements its goals through direct discussions with policymakers.
The foundation’s “Tax Law Commission” (Kommission Steuergesetzbuch), which began its activities in 2004 under the leadership of Joachim Lang, proposes changes to the tax system and includes 76 economic, legal, business, and political experts, including Friedrich Merz, Ingolf Deubel, Hermann Otto Solms, and Kurt Faltlhauser.
Beginning in 2008, the foundation has awarded the biennial Swift Prize for Economic Satire, named after Jonathan Swift. The prize rewards authors of publications that have furthered free, market oriented economic policies with a €10,000 prize. The winners have been:
Friedrich August von Hayek, often referred to by his initials F. A. Hayek, was an Austrian–British economist, legal theorist and philosopher who is best known for his defense of classical liberalism. Hayek shared the 1974 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences with Gunnar Myrdal for their work on money and economic fluctuations, and the interdependence of economic, social and institutional phenomena. His account of how changing prices communicate information that helps individuals coordinate their plans is widely regarded as an important achievement in economics, leading to his prize.
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmental organizations, but some are semi-autonomous agencies within government or are associated with particular political parties, businesses or the military. Think-tank funding often includes a combination of donations from very wealthy people and those not so wealthy, with many also accepting government grants.
Timbro is a liberal think tank and publishing company located in Stockholm, Sweden. In its present form Timbro was founded in 1978 by Sture Eskilsson and the Swedish Employers’ Association, a precursor to the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise. Since 2003, Timbro is being financed by the Swedish Free Enterprise Foundation. In 2013, the foundation received a renewed financial commitment from the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise to ensure its long-term existence.
The Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) is a think tank and pressure group in the United Kingdom. Its goal is to promote coherent and practical policies based on its founding principles of: free markets, "small state," low tax, national independence, self determination and responsibility. While being independent, the centre has historical links to the Conservative Party.
The Adam Smith Institute (ASI) is a neoliberal UK-based think tank and lobbying group, named after Adam Smith, a Scottish moral philosopher and classical economist. The libertarian label was officially changed to neoliberal on 10 October 2016. The Institute advocates free market and classical liberal ideas, primarily via the formation of policy options with regard to public choice theory, which political decision makers seek to develop upon. ASI President Madsen Pirie has sought to describe the activity of the organisation as "[w]e propose things which people regard as being on the edge of lunacy. The next thing you know, they're on the edge of policy".
Prospect is a monthly British general-interest magazine, specialising in politics, economics and current affairs. Topics covered include British and other European, and US politics, social issues, art, literature, cinema, science, the media, history, philosophy and psychology. Prospect features a mixture of lengthy analytic articles, first-person reportage, one-page columns and shorter items.
The Reason Foundation is an American libertarian think tank that was founded in 1978. The foundation publishes the magazine Reason. Based in Los Angeles, California, it is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization. According to its web site, the foundation is committed to advancing "the values of individual freedom and choice, limited government, and market-friendly policies." In the 2014 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report, the foundation was number 41 in the "Top Think Tanks in the United States".
The Mont Pelerin Society (MPS) is an international organization composed of economists, philosophers, historians, intellectuals and business leaders. The members see the MPS as an effort to interpret in modern terms the fundamental principles of economic society as expressed by classical Western economists, political scientists and philosophers. Its founders included Friedrich Hayek, Frank Knight, Karl Popper, Ludwig von Mises, George Stigler and Milton Friedman. The society advocates freedom of expression, free market economic policies and the political values of an open society. Further, the society seeks to discover ways in which the private sector can replace many functions currently provided by government entities.
The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit American, left-leaning think tank based in Washington, D.C., that carries out economic research and analyzes the economic impact of policies and proposals. Affiliated with the labor movement the EPI is usually described as presenting a left-leaning and pro-union viewpoint on public policy issues. Since 2021, the EPI has been led by economist Heidi Shierholz, a former Chief Economist of the Department of Labor
The International Policy Network (IPN) was a think tank based in the City of London, founded 1971, and closed in September 2011. It was a non-partisan, non-profit organization, but critics said it was a "corporate-funded campaigning group". IPN ran campaigns on issues such as trade, development, healthcare and the environment. IPN’s campaigns were pro-free market.
Centre for Political Studies, also known as CEPOS, is an independent association which works as a classical liberal/free-market conservative think-tank in Denmark. It is a strongly right-leaning and highly political association.
Joachim-Friedrich Martin Josef Merz is a German lawyer and politician, serving as Leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since 31 January 2022 and as leader of the Union parliamentary group as well as the Leader of the Opposition in the Bundestag since 15 February 2022.
Ted Halstead was an American author, policy entrepreneur, and public speaker who has founded four non-profit think tanks and advocacy organizations: the Climate Leadership Council, Americans for Carbon Dividends, New America, and Redefining Progress. His areas of expertise included climate policy, economic policy, environmental policy, healthcare, and political reform.
The Konrad Adenauer Foundation is a German political party foundation associated with but independent of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The foundation's headquarters are located in Sankt Augustin near Bonn, as well as in Berlin. Globally, the KAS has 78 offices and runs programs in over 100 countries. Its current chairman is the former President of the German parliament Deutscher Bundestag, Norbert Lammert. It is a member of the Martens Centre, the official foundation and think tank of the European People's Party (EPP). In 2020, it ranked 15th amongst think tanks globally.
The C. D. Howe Institute is a Canadian nonprofit policy research organization in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It aims to be distinguished by "research that is nonpartisan, evidence-based, and subject to definitive expert review." The institute's office is located in the Trader's Bank Building in downtown Toronto.
Robert L. Kuttner is an American journalist and writer whose works present a liberal/progressive point of view. Kuttner is the co-founder and current co-editor of The American Prospect, which was created in 1990 as an "authoritative magazine of liberal ideas," according to its mission statement. He was a 20-year columnist for Business Week and The Boston Globe.
The Kiel Institute for the World Economy is an independent, non-profit economic research institute and think tank based in Kiel, Germany. In 2017, it was ranked as one of the top 50 most influential think tanks in the world and was also ranked in the top 15 in the world for economic policy specifically. German business newspaper, Handelsblatt, referred to the institute as "Germany's most influential economic think tank", while Die Welt, stated that "The best economists in the world are in Kiel".
Instituto Liberdade do Rio Grande do Sul is a Brazilian independent think tank, formed by intellectual entrepreneurs, based in Porto Alegre. Instituto Liberdade is not endowed and does not accept government funding. All of its programs depend upon the generosity of foundations, individuals, and corporations that share belief in the importance of independent research.
Charles de Ganahl Koch is an American billionaire businessman. As of November 2022, he was ranked as the 13th richest person in the world on Bloomberg Billionaires Index, with an estimated net worth of $66 billion. Koch has been co-owner, chairman, and chief executive officer of Koch Industries since 1967, while his late brother David Koch served as executive vice president. Charles and David each owned 42% of the conglomerate. The brothers inherited the business from their father, Fred C. Koch, then expanded the business. Originally involved exclusively in oil refining and chemicals, Koch Industries now includes process and pollution control equipment and technologies, polymers and fibers, minerals, fertilizers, commodity trading and services, forest and consumer products, and ranching. The businesses produce a wide variety of well-known brands, such as Stainmaster carpet, the Lycra brand of spandex fiber, Quilted Northern tissue, and Dixie Cup.
Liberální Institut, also known as the Liberal Institute, is a Czech political think tank based in Prague which aims to promote the principles of classical liberal thought. First known as the F.A. Hayek Liberal Association, it was founded by Jiří Schwarz, Tomáš Ježek and Miroslav Ševčík in the fall of 1989 and later registered on February 6, 1990 under its current name. Currently led by Martin Panek, the Liberal Institute endeavors to develop and apply ideas of classical liberalism in relation to the Czech and European political system. Its activities are based on the principles of individual freedom, a government with limited powers, the free market and peace.