President and CEO of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council Karen Kerrigan discusses why it is important for the United States to support entrepreneurship around the globe. Kerrigan discusses challenges faced by entrepreneurs the world over and how the private sector can engage government on innovative solutions.
She also discusses her work helping fledgling business associations develop the skills to advocate the policy and regulatory reforms needed for an improved business environment. Kerrigan discusses the importance of taking into account local context and cultural sensitivities when working with partners overseas. She describes how she helped a women’s business organization in Palestine when it was starting out and how that organization has grown to be one of the most powerful business groups in that country.
Kerrigan also discusses the attitude towards entrepreneurship she sees in many millennials and the need to expose youth to the opportunity of entrepreneurship early in their education.
Aurelio Concheso, President of the Advisory Board of Venezuelan think tank Centro de Divulgación del Conocimiento (CEDICE), discusses populism in Latin America and the challenges to democracy in that region. He uses the example of Chile to discuss the importance of a free market for meeting citizen demands. He also discusses the need for a social context for market reforms, and how open markets and a level playing field create vested interest in the rule of law by all citizens.
Concheso also talks about how problems with democracy and globalization have led to dissatisfaction and populism, and explains what he considers to be the antidote to the challenge facing democracy in Latin America today.
This week’s podcast is a recording of an event CIPE recently co-hosted with the National Endowment for Democracy titled "Defending Liberal Democracy in Emerging Markets: The Role of Free Markets and Rule of Law."
Specifically, the event explored whether liberal economic reforms and accountability in economic policy can help bolster the consolidation of democracy and, if so, under what conditions.
Opening remarks were provided by:
Three members of CIPE’s Free Enterprise and Democracy Network engaged in a panel discussion on the topic:
The discussion was moderated by:
Secretary General of the International Real Estate Federation – USA Bill Endsley discusses the importance of property rights for economic growth and prosperity.
Endsley talks about how a lack of property rights, or inadequate access to information on property rights, can undermine markets and impede business development. He highlights trends in Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and explains how – even in markets where there is thriving real estate development – poorly functioning property markets can undermine the health and sustainability of the economy. He discusses lessons the rest of the world can learn from the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis.
Endsley also talks about the property markets scorecard project that has mapped out the ecosystems of property markets in 30 countries so far. He highlights resources available through the project and discusses reforms that have been identified as a result of the scorecards