Free Enterprise, Poverty, and the Financial Crisis

In 2008, the developed world was engulfed in a recession second only to the Great Depression in severity. Amidst the meltdown, the developing nations were largely forgotten. Having made large strides towards prosperity through free enterprise and integration into the global economy, they became the forgotten people. How has the financial crisis affected developing nations and their journey out of poverty? How will proposed reforms to the global economy affect them?

On December 3, 2009, the Acton Institute sponsored a day-long conference at Rome's Pontifical University of the Holy Cross to consider these and other questions. Renowned scholars, policy experts, and entrepreneurs addressed the financial crisis’s impact upon poverty in developing nations and what the future holds for them. This conference was the first of a seven-part series on Poverty, Entrepreneurship, and Integral Development.