The highlight of the past year was the first independent study carried out by the Institute. It looked into various aspects of a government scheme aimed at promoting environment friendly products. The study concluded that open competition in a free market, rather than regulations, are best suited to promote improvements in environmental quality. The report has attracted a positive response. Following this, the Institute plans to take up a series of similar policy studies, with a particular emphasis on environmental issues.
Another significant event in the Institute’s calendar was conducting the first all-India essay contest for high school students on Ayn Rand’s classic novel, The Fountainhead. This year we intend to expand the contest to cover many more institutions. As part of this effort to reach out to the student community, the Institute is working to develop an informal and participatory educational package, integrating ethics, economics and environment, aimed at providing a broader perspective and develop critical faculties.
During the year the Institute published a series of occasional papers and reprinted an old classic - Frederick Bastiat’s The Law. The Institute proposes a series of publications in the coming months.
The Julian L. Simon Centre, our resource centre is quite unique as it specially focusses on liberal literature and market based analysis of issues. The collection of books and other materials from around the world has been growing, thanks particularly to the support from the network of friends and organisations around the world who have continued to donate relevant literature. Since much of the material here is not generally available in bookshops and even major libraries, the Centre has been attracting the attention of a growing number people - journalists, academics, students, and opinion makers. Books from the collection are being reviewed in major newspapers.
The response of the media has been quite encouraging. Op-eds distributed by the Institute, including some from network organisations like the Cato Institute (USA) have been accepted for publication.
The Institute participated in three major book fairs during the year - the World Book Fair in Delhi in February 1998, the Delhi Book Fair in August 1998, and the Calcutta Book Fair 1999. At these fairs, the basic aim is to expose readers to a wide range of literature from around the world all united in their defense of a free society. This also provides a very good opportunity to meet and discuss with a wide range of people, and build up a network of likeminded people. The Institute also participated in Ongoing ’98, in Mumbai. This fair that aims to bring together a wide range of NGOs to share experiences.
The Institute would like to thank all its friends and supporters, particularly Atlas Economic Research Foundation, USA, and UK, whose support made all this possible.
(C) Liberty Institute, New Delhi, 1999
