Reference Guides

Kurtis Lockhart

et al.

Charter cities are new cities with new rules. The Governance Handbook is the first comprehensive guide that lays out what these rules should be, and how they should be administered.

Blog Posts

Carl Peterson

et al.

A CCI team recently travelled to Zambia to meet with key stakeholders in the new administration.

Reference Guides

et al.

Charter city projects are under construction and governments around the world are acting: the charter cities moment has arrived. This report first reviews both the past and present of the charter cities movement, and then lays out a vision as to where this movement is headed.

Reference Guides

Kurtis Lockhart

et al.

A charter city’s industrial strategy should evolve with its growth and should be aimed to foster integration and linkages with other businesses both within the local region and across the globe. This guide gives an overview of what an industrial strategy is and why it matters. It also briefly explores four industry options to foster a city’s economic growth, the evolution of an industrial strategy and its limitations.

Research

et al.

Curiously, some cities have, over time, become better at preparing for crises, while others have not. This paper explores how to optimize cities for crises, as well as growth, learning, and other seismic changes.

Blog Posts

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

The Taliban have retaken Afghanistan. What does this mean for the future of charter cities?

Blog Posts

Maxwell Tabarrok

et al.

Gurgaon, India, Jiaolong, China, and Próspera, Honduras offer three models of private governance.

Blog Posts

Maxwell Tabarrok

et al.

Could charter cities gain legitimacy by taking the job no other city wants to take?

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

Charter cities are not some theoretical, pie in the sky idea; there is real, tangible traction happening that can be accelerated with additional funding.

Research

Carl Peterson

et al.

Improving the Lives of Congolese Citizens and Creating a Stable and Ethical Source for Critical Minerals

Project Notes

Kurtis Lockhart

et al.

The purpose of this research project is to sketch the broad intellectual history of the role self-governing cities have played in economic and political development, from ancient times to the present.

Research

Kurtis Lockhart

et al.

The Charter Cities Institute (CCI) accepts submissions for research paper ideas related to charter cities and innovative urban governance.

Blog Posts

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

Charter cities need to retain their focus on being transformative, which includes combining governance reform with agglomeration.

Research

Jeffrey Mason

et al.

CCI's first academic publication on Honduras' charter cities law.

Blog Posts

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

Like any early-stage startup, charter cities are currently a momentum play, and the state of charter cities is strong.

Blog Posts

Sarah Doyel

et al.

In a world with increasing numbers of forcibly displaced persons, charter cities provide one way to generate more effective responses to refugee movements while placing refugee and local community needs firmly at the center of local governance.

Blog Posts

Carl Peterson

et al.

Somaliland is an autonomous region in the Horn of Africa that unilaterally declared independence from Somalia in 1991. Not only has Somaliland maintained democratic governance, but it has also made continual efforts to improve this governance and recently passed the “Somaliland Special Economic Zones Law."

Research

Sarah Doyel

et al.

In a world with increasing numbers of forcibly displaced persons, this paper explores how charter cities can generate more effective responses to refugee movements and place refugee and local community needs firmly at the center of local governance.

Blog Posts

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

Ports need trade to justify the investment, governance to ensure effective operation, capital to be built and maintained. That ports are part of a larger process that can be described as development does not make them unimportant.

Blog Posts

et al.

The Victoria Falls Stock Exchange as a model for mitigating currency risk.

Blog Posts

et al.

Monetary authority is one power charter cities might not want to possess.

Project Notes

Jeffrey Mason

et al.

Doing Business is a valuable project, but its methodology could be strengthened.

Blog Posts

et al.

Arjun Khaitan considers an Ostromian approach to industrial strategy.

Blog Posts

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

What does peak internet coordination of real-world activity look like?

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

Starbase has the potential to become one of the greatest cities of the 21st century.

Blog Posts

Jeffrey Mason

et al.

Jiaolong, China may be the world's must successful privately operated city.

Blog Posts

et al.

A new city for South Africa is not a bad idea, however it has to be driven by something greater than a desire for a new city.

Blog Posts

Jeffrey Mason

et al.

A legislative analysis of Nevada's interesting new proposal for "Innovation Zones."

Blog Posts

et al.

The Tiebout model demonstrates that competitive pressure across local governments can lead to the optimal provision of public goods. In other words, competitive governance works, provided several key assumptions

Project Notes

Jeffrey Mason

et al.

A brief feasibility assessment on using to-be-closed US overseas bases as charter city sites.

Project Notes

Jeffrey Mason

et al.

Background notes on DP World's Port of Berbera, Somaliland as a potential charter city site.

Interviews

Carl Peterson

et al.

Amna Al Owais gives an introduction to the DIFC Courts and their inner workings.

Updates

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

Interviews

Carl Peterson

et al.

Tom Bell introduces the history, philosophy, and workings of his Ulex open-source legal system.

Interviews

Jeffrey Mason

et al.

Alex Rothenberg presents his paper, "Urban Sprawl and Social Capital: Evidence from Indonesian Cities."

Interviews

Kurtis Lockhart

et al.

Susanne Frick presents her paper on special economic zones in emerging economies.

Kurtis Lockhart

et al.

Richard Bolwijn presents his research team's findings from the 2019 World Investment Report.

Interviews

Kurtis Lockhart

et al.

Kat Nawrot and James Donald present their paper, "African Megacities as Emerging Innovation Ecosystems."

Interviews

Kurtis Lockhart

et al.

Nicolas Lippolis presents his co-authored paper "Can Africa Learn from the Chinese Urbanization Story?"

Interviews

Kurtis Lockhart

et al.

Matt Prewitt and Paul Healy present their research paper, '"Building Radical Charter Cities."

Updates

et al.

We are proud to release our 2020 Annual Report.

Updates

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

Updates

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

Research

Mark Levin

et al.

Mark Levin offers lessons for charter cities from his four decades of experience in city management.

Blog Posts

Heba Elhanafy

et al.

A unique variety of informal settlement emerged in Cairo in the 1990s.

Updates

et al.

Updates

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

Blog Posts

Jeffrey Mason

et al.

Blog Posts

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

Blog Posts

Carl Peterson

et al.

Blog Posts

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

Blog Posts

Heba Elhanafy

et al.

Updates

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

Blog Posts

Jeffrey Mason

et al.

Bastrop, Texas is bringing back the grid to urban planning. New cities in Africa should follow suit.

Updates

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

Updates

et al.

Blog Posts

Emmanuel Olawoye

et al.

Research

Paul Healy

et al.

Paul Healy and Matt Prewitt detail three RadicalxChange policies for improving charter city governance.

Blog Posts

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

The American founding offers crucial lessons for charter cities.

Blog Posts

Heba Elhanafy

et al.

The third entry in our Building Africa blog series on pre-colonial urban development in Africa.

Updates

et al.

Updates

et al.

Reference Guides

et al.

Reference Guides

et al.

Reference Guides

et al.

Reference Guides

et al.

Reference Guides

et al.

Updates

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

Blog Posts

Emmanuel Olawoye

et al.

The second entry in our Building Africa blog series on pre-colonial urban development in Africa.

Blog Posts

Heba Elhanafy

et al.

The first entry in a series of blog posts on pre-colonial urban development in Africa.

Blog Posts

Mo Malabu

et al.

Can Nollywood learn about agglomeration effects from Hollywood?

Updates

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

Blog Posts

Jeffrey Mason

et al.

It's probably close to zero.

Blog Posts

Jeffrey Mason

et al.

Congratulations to 2020 John Bates Clark Medalist Melissa Dell!

Updates

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

Blog Posts

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

Are ports a better development bet than RCTs? It's an open question.

Blog Posts

Mo Malabu

et al.

Charter cities have much in common with this widely-used project financing model.

Updates

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

Blog Posts

Kurtis Lockhart

et al.

Strong institutions are necessary to weather negative economic shocks and support long-run growth.

Blog Posts

Jeffrey Mason

et al.

A closer look at the steps a successful charter city might take in the face of a pandemic.

Blog Posts

Kurtis Lockhart

et al.

Regulatory reform matters for charter cities, not tax incentives.

Blog Posts

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

Charter cities would follow the Asian Tigers, not the West.

Updates

Jeffrey Mason

et al.

Updates

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

Updates

Jeffrey Mason

et al.

Updates

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

et al.

Blog Posts

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

We're hiring a Legal Researcher. If interested, send a resume and cover letter to mark@cci.city

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

We're hiring an Operations Manager. If interested, email a resume and cover letter to mark@cci.city

Blog Posts

Jeffrey Mason

et al.

Blog Posts

et al.

Blog Posts

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

We're proud to release our 2019 Annual Report.

Blog Posts

Kurtis Lockhart

et al.

Blog Posts

et al.

Charter cities offer residents in emerging economies something they rarely get: a choice of where and under which institutions to live.

Blog Posts

et al.

Blog Posts

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

Executive Director Mark Lutter parses the distinction between large real estate projects and viable cities.

Blog Posts

Kurtis Lockhart

et al.

A call for academic papers ahead of the inaugural Charter Cities Conference on March 17-18, 2020.

Blog Posts

et al.

Blog Posts

Dr. Mark Lutter

et al.

Paul Romer went to Burning Man.

Research

Jeffrey Mason

et al.

Sustained economic growth is the world’s best poverty reduction tool. In this paper, Research Associate Jeffrey Mason argues that charter cities are a highly cost-effective way to ignite long-run growth.