The Role of Economic Freedom

According to the 2012 Index of Economic Freedom, a joint publication of The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal, global economic freedom has declined over the past year. But what does this mean for America and the world?

Economic freedom empowers ordinary people with greater opportunity and individual choice, and it lets people decide for themselves how best to achieve their highest aspirations. From the amount a government spends, to the individual property rights extended to its citizens, a nation's economic freedom is closely tied to key values like the elimination of poverty and freedom from corruption.

To learn more about economic freedom and view the 2012 Index country rankings, visit us online at heritage.org/Index

Category:

News & Politics

[JustinBurns]

@SpykerSpeed The Wall Street Journal is a media outlet which tends to favor the Big Government Republican establishment... Considering that they fund much of the Heritage Foundation, I think it is healthy to maintain a level of skepticism. Can anyone from the Heritage Foundation cite data points for the freedom of a business to fail? No matter how large the institution, in a truly efficient free market environment, a business must be allowed to fail and smaller ones to rise up in its wake.

[gwho]

keynsian voodoo economics claiming that gov spending helps the economy...

whiel velocity is important, gov spending is money taken away from people (who would spend it, invest it, put it in banks to be loaned out, or put out of circulation to lower prices - all self-stabilizing forces), and spends it. when gov spends it, u take people's money, and give it back to them, but the net difference is that the people had to work to stay even. if that's helping the economy, give slave owners medals.

[SpykerSpeed]

While I agree with the noble goal of charting economic freedom in each nation, I think the Heritage Foundation is partisan in its assessment. The US was economically unfree throughout the Bush years, and that brought on the housing bubble and subsequent market crash in 2007/8. Obama exacerbated it with more of the same. But please don't act like Republicans and "conservatives" don't also share in the responsibility for our troubles.

[3martijns]

@j950103 Thanks - I found out when I googled. I think it said #8 last year!

obama is Death to USA!!

[j950103]

@3martijns USA"s ranks 10th in the world in the Economic Freedom Index

[italianstallion30]

@italianstallion30 area*

[italianstallion30]

Maybe saying a complete joke was a little harsh. And I completely agree that Obama is the worst president we have ever had. However, I believe that George W. Bush was not a good president and Republicans should hold him accountable for his liberal spending while in office. We as conservatives/republicans/libe­rtarians must stand against this spending. And lemme tell ya, Romney and Gingrich aren't willing to cut a dime from any are of government.

[3martijns]

Weird that vid says Hong Kong #1 and Canada #6, but never gives USA Ranking!

PLEASE?

[tungstencarbide100]

@italianstallion30 Ron Paul is the complete joke. You fail to factor in the cost of NOT acting in Iraq & Afghanistan. Free (or relatively free) markets look forward, and require relative certainty for growth. The primary role of our government is to secure & protect the citizenry, who bestow upon government this responsibility. As for the ruin of America,the ill policies of the federal reserve, pale in comparison to the Obama agenda of institutionalized liberalism.

[TWSceptic]

@italianstallion30: It's not a joke. I think you don't understand it. Obama continued the bad habits of big government and spend more money than any other president on wars and bailouts. The guy is completely clueless, he actually thinks he's doing a fine job, while in reality his actions only further destroy the US.

If you are Ron Paul voter you should already know this.