Increasing economic openness has lifted over a billion people out of poverty. But progress has been uneven, and many countries are being left behind. To help close the gap in economic openness, this project will create a roadmap for countries to build economic openness.

The initial phase of the project [link] constructed the Global Index of Economic Openness (GIEO) based on four "pillars" of economic openness: Market Access and Infrastructure; Investment Environment; Enterprise Conditions; and Governance. The Legatum Institute published this index for 157 countries and engaged with decision-makers and opinion-formers around the world.

In this new phase, it will develop four handbooks—one for each of the four pillars of economic openness—that identify real-world evidence of how countries have successfully developed an openness to competition, ideas, and capital. It will also develop case studies in six countries, identifying the obstacles to openness and steps to overcome them. In each country, the project will hold public conferences, as well as private briefings with policy makers. If successful, this project’s second phase will improve economic openness and increase policymakers' focus on openness and competition.