Francisco De Vitoria Prize for Ethics and Values
The Francisco De Vitoria Prize for Ethics and Values honors non-profit research institutes that draw attention to human rights and to the values that sustain free societies, in addition to exposing unethical practices (whether in government or private sector entities) which undermine sound institutions in Latin America.
Ethical behavior tends to be rewarded in a free market, since business success requires establishing trust, finding profitable opportunities to provide value to others, and delaying gratification in order to save and invest. At the same time, institutions of free enterprise themselves depend upon ethical practices, and their services can also be undermined by unethical practices.
The Francisco de Vitoria Prize for Ethics and Values recognizes think tanks that complement or add new insights to the understanding of the ethical benefits of the free society and free economy.
This Prize carries the name of the Spanish theologian and political theorist Francisco de Vitoria (1483–1546), who is considered to be the founder of international law in modern terms. He delivered a famous series of lectures which set forth important principles of international law, defending the rights of the indigenous inhabitants of America, and expressing his doubts about the justification of the imposition of Spanish imperial power over them.
Past Winners
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Centro para la Apertura y el Desarrollo de America Latina of Argentina (2005)
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Instituto de Libre Empresa of Peru (2006)
- Centro Interdisciplinar de Ética e Economia Personalista (2007)
- Universidad Torcuato Di Tella (2008)
