Philanthropic Freedom: “If You Can'’t Measure It, You Can'’t Improve It.

Hudson Institute's Center for Global Prosperity (CGP) announced the publication of its pilot study on Philanthropic Freedom, the first time that ease of giving has been fully measured in 13 countries across the globe. The pilot study and each of the detailed country reports can be downloaded for free here.

The new study fills a major gap in development policy and philanthropic research by surveying barriers and incentives to philanthropic giving in three main areas: the ease of registering and operating civil society organizations (CSOs); domestic tax policies for individual and corporate deductions, credits, and exemptions; and, the ease of sending and receiving cash and in-kind goods across borders.

Like the World Bank's Doing Business report and Freedom House's Freedom in the World report, this research is intended to help governments remove barriers and create incentives for growing philanthropy.

A distinguished panel conversed on the key factors that encourage and inhibit philanthropy and the important policy implications of this pilot study.