In 1983, in view of the emerging global trend towards greater political and entrepreneurial freedom, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce created CIPE to build the linkage between private enterprise, market economics and democratic development. The collapse of communist regimes has created tremendous opportunity for the spread of open market ideas. Building a new economic system is a complex process that requires supporting democratic structures to ensure lasting success.
Further progress depends on liberating the entrepreneur.
Informal entrepreneurs embody the need for the government to create an environment in which the private sector can thrive, as vividly depicted in the recent study of the Philippines included in these pages. Our second issue presents a country study of Indonesia, a nation who engaged in reform efforts after oil revenue, its economic mainstay, was significantly reduced due to falling world prices. The Indonesia case study is part of the Economic Reform Survey conducted by CIPE and The Futures Group. The survey compares reform efforts in Indonesia and 31 other developing countries, with primary emphasis on the effect of sequencing and timing of reform initiatives. Courting Foreign Direct Investment in the Nineties presents a graphic picture of the challenges facing the developing world.