This talk details how charter cities — new cities with new rules — are an idea whose time has come. Charter cities can help grapple with the twin challenges of rapid urbanization combined with poor governance across many cities in the Global South this century. Charter cities create pockets of economic freedom that enable these areas to attract investment, spur business formation, create jobs, and in turn lift tens of millions of people out of poverty and into prosperity.

By establishing innovative governance structures, charter cities can serve as testing grounds for new policies and economic practices. This can lead to more effective solutions that can be replicated in other parts of the world, fostering global development and stability.

Dr. Mark Lutter is the Founder and Executive Chairman of the Charter Cities Institute. He is also the Founder and CEO of Braavos Cities, a charter city development company. He has a PhD in economics from George Mason University where his research focused on charter cities.

Prior to launching the Institute, he was Lead Economist for NeWAY Capital, an asset management firm which made early stage investments in charter cities. He has been published and quoted in several newspapers and magazines including the Financial Times, New Yorker, Chicago Tribune, City Journal, and CityAM.

Kurtis Lockhart is a PhD candidate in political science at Oxford University. His research examines the effect of institutional reforms on public goods provision with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa. He has been taught quantitative methods and African politics at Oxford, and has previously worked for the International Growth Centre (IGC), for Wart Africa (both in Sierra Leone), and for the ELIMU Impact Evaluation Center in Kenya where he managed the implementation of several randomised control trials across many different sectors such as health insurance, rural electrification, tax administration, and legal aid.

Kurtis has also completed consulting projects with both Oxford Development Consultancy and with Warc Africa. He holds an MSc in Development Management from the London School of Economics where he graduated top of his class, as well as a BA in Economics and Development Studies (First Class Honors) from McGill University.