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Policy Primers

Lessons from Business Improvement Districts: Building on Past Successes Robert Nelson, Kyle McKenzie, Eileen Norcross July 2, 2008 This paper provides basic background information on the history, legal framework, and past successes of Business Improvement Districts.

The Nature and Role of Entrepreneurship in Markets: Implications for Policy Israel M. Kirzner, Frederic Sautet June 12, 2006 Policy makers and others often associate entrepreneurship with the creation of new businesses. While this is an accurate description of one of the many outcomes of entrepreneurial activity, entrepreneurship encompasses far more than business start-ups. It derives from the creative power of the human mind and consists of the discovery of profitable ideas that enable market actors to exploit new, socially beneficial gains from trade. As such, entrepreneurship is the driving force of the market, and it makes progress and sustained prosperity possible.

The Role of Media as a Supporting Institution: Implications for Development Policy Christopher Coyne June 2, 2005 In democracies, the presence of an independent media not only heightens voter awareness of important policy issues but also provides them with accurate information about the behavior of political agents. This enables voters to monitor politicians who are thus made more accountable to the public. For core economic and political institutions to be effective, a free media must support them.

The Role of Property Rights as an Institution: Implications for Development Policy Karol Boudreaux May 3, 2005 Policy Primers present an accessible explanation of fundamental economic ideas necessary to the practice of sound policy.

The Role of Institutions in Entrepreneurship: Implications for Development Policy Frederic Sautet February 3, 2005 This Policy Primer explains how institutions are vital to the expansion of entrepreneurial activity, which is at the heart of the process of development and economic growth.