SELL OUT AUDIENCE HEARS TAVENER PREMIERE

News
MAY 2013
FROM THE LEGATUM INSTITUTE
GLOBAL TRANSITIONS
PROSPERITY STUDIES
The Promise of Freedom Salon Lecture Series
SELL-OUT AUDIENCE HEARS TAVENER PREMIERE
Over a thousand guests attend ‘Promise Of Freedom’ concert at National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
“The London–based Legatum Institute
came to Washington with a mission:
To show the city of think tanks how it’s
done – not just differently, but in a way
that soars out of the paradigm.”
US News & World Report
21 April: As part of its ‘Promise Of Freedom’ series
of lectures and events exploring the vital role liberty
has played in British and American cultural and social
thought, the Legatum Institute commissioned a piece
by Sir John Tavener, one of the UK’s best known and
regarded composers.
Conductor Robert Shafer thanks
composer Sir John Tavener
Tavener set to music three works by the early 17th
century poet George Herbert. The texts take us back to
an earlier chapter in the transatlantic story—the time
when religious and political radicals fled the Church and
State establishment of England in order to embrace the
freedom promised in the new American colonies. The
concert was performed by the City Choir of Washington,
the Shenandoah Conservatory Choir, and the City Choir
Festival Orchestra, under the direction of Robert Shafer.
Publishers of the Legatum Prosperity Index™ www.prosperity.com
Co-publishers of Democracy Lab http://democracylab.foreignpolicy.com
“The first [hymn], ‘Heaven,’
made some simply ravishing
sounds; each line was sung out in
a shining arc and left suspended
in the air, punctuated by an echo
from the chorus in the balcony
and then nudged by the gentle
plosive chimes of bells. The final
hymn, ‘Life,’ was touched with a
bittersweet hint of dissonance,
like frost petals.”
Anne Midgette, The Washington Post
www.li.com
Roundtable
Politics, Culture and the
Entrepreneurial Idea
Young professionals explore the vital connection between
culture and politics and its impact in shaping prosperous societies
18 April: In conversation with British and American political and cultural
scholars, a group of accomplished young professionals explored the
vital connection between culture and politics and its impact in shaping
prosperous societies at a Legatum Institute roundtable in Washington,
D.C. The discussion focused on culture as being central to society, that
government is indeed a component of culture—and that in recent years,
particularly following the rise of global extremism, “culture and politics
have become organic.”
When thinking of the role of art for the public good, there certainly is
a role for government in promoting culture, yet participants agreed
that it is important to maintain the independence of the arts in order
to provide space for dialogue and creative expression. In conclusion,
the group discussed the value of culture in policymaking, free thinking
and development, and the importance of taking a holistic, multidisciplinary approach in understanding the modern world.
Panellists included James Leach, former Congressman and Chairman
of the National Endowment of the Humanities; Paul Smith, Director
of the British Council; Dorothy Kosinski, Director of the Philips
Collection; and David Walsh, Professor at Catholic University
and Hywel Williams, Senior Adviser at the Legatum Institute.
The roundtable was moderated by Joseph Wood, Professor at the
Institute of World Politics.
Following the discussion, the group attended a rehearsal for the
world premiere of John Tavener’s Three Hymns of George Herbert,
a work commissioned by the Legatum Institute as part of our
“Promise of Freedom” series.
Panel Discussion
POLICY USES OF SUBJECTIVE WELLBEING DATA
LI’s senior programme director and fellow, Zachary Courser, gave a presentation on
the policy uses of subjective wellbeing data (SWB) at a seminar in Mexico City
17-18 April: The seminar was jointly
organised by the Latin American Social
Sciences Institute, Mexico (FLACSO) and
the National Institute of Statistics and
Geography (INEGI). Zach’s presentation
focussed on LI’s work in the “beyond
GDP” debate as reflected in The Legatum
Prosperity Index and the current work of
the LI Commission on Wellbeing Policy.
He also provided an overview of the
UK government’s progress in integrating
wellbeing data into policymaking.
i
For more information on this event visit
http://li.com/blog
Prof. Ed Diener of the University of Illinois
and Prof. John Helliwell (who has previously
participated in the Legatum Institute’s
Publishers of the Legatum Prosperity Index™ www.prosperity.com
Co-publishers of Democracy Lab http://democracylab.foreignpolicy.com
conferences on wellbeing research at Brocket
Hall) of the University of British Columbia,
both served as keynote speakers during
the two-day conference. Prof. Diener’s
talk gave a summary of the progress of
wellbeing measurement, and how studies
continue to demonstrate how high levels
of SWB reinforce good health, strong
social relationships, and citizenship. The
conference generally confirmed that SWB
measures things people value over and above
the exchange of goods and services; that it
helps in assessing quality of life; and that
high levels of happiness and life-satisfaction
are necessary for a society to flourish.
PROMOTING ENTREPRENEURSHIP
IS A POTENT DEVELOPMENT TOOL
Roundtable
Ideas and approaches from the private sector can have substantial
impact in enhancing engagement with foreign audiences.
23 April: Connecting with foreign publics is no longer merely a diplomat’s
purview. Goli Ameri heads the Center for Global Engagement (CGE), a new
social entrepreneurship endeavour founded to leverage the power of the private
sector and the American citizenry to foster engagement between US society and
the rest of the world through mass outreach mediums. At a luncheon roundtable
at the Legatum Institute, Ameri presented CGE’s approach and key initiatives.
“The idea is not to ‘polish the apple,’ but to provide real added value and services,”
Ameri explained. “We are looking for projects with large scale transformational
benefits to society at large. It’s about taking things that the private sector does
well—about tapping into its ingenuity, creativity, technological innovation, and
resources—to complement what is already being done via traditional diplomatic
channels to engage foreign audiences.”
“We’re particularly focused on promoting and teaching
entrepreneurship and English language, two of the most potent
economic development tools in the world.”
Goli Ameri
Goli Ameri
Competition
Upcoming Events
PROSPERITY ILLUSTRATED
The Legatum Institute is calling on illustrators to
submit their visual take on what it means to be
genuinely prosperous. The best three entrants will
be awarded top prizes, and shortlisted entries will
be featured on the Legatum Institute website at
the launch of the 2013 Legatum Prosperity Index™.
i
For more information and terms and conditions,
visit www.li.com/competition.
7 May, 2013: Towards a Reform of
Egyptian Subsidies – Dalibor Rohac,
Policy Analyst, Center for Global
Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute
(Washington DC) discusses his new
paper with a panel including: Adel
Al-Toraifi, Editor-in-Chief, Asharq
Al-Awsat; Jane Kinninmont of
Chatham House; Fiona Samuels from
the Overseas Development Institute.
21 May, 2013: Lessons from
Afghanistan – a behind-the-scenes
account of diplomacy in Kabul –
with Jean d’Amécourt, former French
Ambassador to Afghanistan and
Mark Sedwill, Permanent Secretary
at the Home Office, former UK
Ambassador and NATO Senior Civilian
Representative to Afghanistan.
Salon Series:
The Promise of Freedom
23 May, 2013: Women on Stage:
Theatre, Social Progress, and
Prosperity – Dame Harriet Walter,
will discuss the interpretation of
female roles and what it tells us
about social progress and prosperity.
i
If you are interested in attending an event
or would like to be added to our mailing list,
please contact [email protected]
www.li.com
Roundtable
CASH FLOW CREDIT CAN HELP ENTREPRENEURS IN
TRANSITIONING ECONOMIES
Columbia Professor Jan Švejnar presents new research on loan performance in Eastern Europe and urges policy makers
never to underestimate the entrepreneurial potential in developing countries.
19 April: The global financial crisis has made it
harder for entrepreneurs to secure loans and other
forms of financing. Small and medium-sized firms
in developing and transitioning economies have
been hit particularly hard, as lenders shy away
from the relative volatility of the economic and
political environment at the best of times. What
can be done?
“Never underestimate the
entrepreneurial potential
in developing countries.”
Columbia Professor Jan Švejnar presented research
on the performance of a new type of loan, which
was recently pioneered by the European Bank
for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Traditional types of loans are based on a firm’s
existing collateral, something up-and-coming
firms often find difficult to obtain. The new type of
loan introduced by the EBRD is based on expected
cash flow, which is an easier hurdle to overcome
for an entrepreneur with a solid business plan.
The conclusions seem to suggest that loans based
on cash flow can perform very well, as both types
of loans generally tended to improve the overall
performance of the firms. The size of the loan
seems to matter though: very small loans were
Jan Švejnar
Jan Švejnar with LI’s Julian Knapp
not as conducive to better performance
as small, medium size, and large loans.
In closing, Švejnar suggested to keep
one general lesson from Central and
Eastern Europe’s political and economic
transition in mind: don’t underestimate
the entrepreneurial potential and savvy of
the indigenous population.
Legatum Institute in the News
‘MISHA’ SPEAKS: AN INTERVIEW WITH THE ALLEGED
BOSTON BOMBER’S ‘SVENGALI’
THE BOSTON MASSACRE: SIMPLY EVIL
Huffington Post, Jeffrey Gedmin, 16 April, 2013.
New York Review of Books, Christian Caryl, 28 April, 2013.
THE LADY T I KNEW: IRON IN PRIVATE, TOO
DOES MORE MEAN LESS? MEDIA DIGITISATION IN INDIA Huffington Post, Jeffrey Gedmin, 8 April, 2013.
‘India at LSE’ blog, Hemal Shah, 26 April, 2013.
LETTING MUSIC LEAD THE WAY OUT OF A DARK WEEK
MARGARET THATCHER RECOGNISED THE BIG ISSUES
Washington Post, Anne Applebaum, 8 April, 2013.
US News & World Report, Jamie Stiehm, 22 April, 2013.
LOSING THE PLOT IN THE WELFARE DEBATE
DIAMOND JUBILEE COMPOSITION IS A MUSICAL REBIRTH Huffington Post, Jeffrey Gedmin, 4 April, 2013.
Washington Post, Anne Midgette, 19 April, 2013.
DOES CULTURE PLAY A ROLE IN PUBLIC POLICY?
CHINA MUST ACT ON NORTH KOREA IF IT WANTS RESPECT
Washington Post, Anne Applebaum, 3 April, 2013.
British Council US blog, Alanna Putze, 18 April, 2013.
Publishers of the Legatum Prosperity Index™ www.prosperity.com
Co-publishers of Democracy Lab http://democracylab.foreignpolicy.com
www.li.com