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| EST. READ TIME 1 MIN.Canada’s position weakens in annual economic freedom rankings
The key ingredients of economic freedom are personal choice, voluntary exchange, freedom to compete, and protection of the person and property. Economic freedom liberates individuals and families from government dependence and gives them control of their own future. Empirical research shows this spurs economic growth by unleashing individual dynamism. It also leads to democracy and other freedoms as people are unfettered from government dependence.
Economic Freedom of the World is the most comprehensive index of economic freedom in the world and the only one that uses reproducible measures appropriate for peer-reviewed research. The 2004 annual report explores the evolution of economic freedom over the last quarter century and the impact of economic freedom on people's lives.
It answers many important questions, including:
- Has economic freedom been increasing or decreasing?
- Do poor people benefit when countries become economically free?
- What countries have made big gains in economic freedom in recent years?
- What effect does economic freedom have on prosperity?
- How does economic freedom influence investment?
- How does economic freedom influence productivity?
- What impact does economic freedom have on income inequality?
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James Gwartney
Professor of Economics, Florida State UniversityJames D. Gwartney was a Professor of Economics and the Gus A. Stavros Eminent Scholar at Florida State University. He wasthe coauthor of Economics: Private and Public Choice (Cengage/South-Western Press, 2021), a widely used principles of economics text that is now in its 17th edition. He was also coauthor of an economics primer, Common Sense Economics: What Everyone Should Know about Wealth and Prosperity (St. Martin’s Press, 2016). His publications appeared in both professional journals and popular media such as the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. He served as Chief Economist of the Joint Economic Committee of the US Congress during 1999–2000. In 2004, he was the recipient of the Adam Smith Award of the Association of Private Enterprise Education for his contribution to the advancement of free-market ideals. He was a past President of the Southern Economic Association and the Association for Private Enterprise Education. His Ph.D. in economics was from the University of Washington.… Read more -
Robert A. Lawson
Clinical Professor in Economics and Director, Bridwell Institute for Economic Freedom, Southern Methodist UniversityRobert A. Lawson is Clinical Professor in Economics, Jerome M. Fullinwider Centennial Chair in Economic Freedom, and Director of theBridwell Institute for Economic Freedom in the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University. He earned his B.S. in economics from the Honors Tutorial College at Ohio University and his M.S. and Ph.D. in economics from Florida State University. A Senior Fellow at the Fraser Institute, he has numerous professional publications in journals such as Public Choice, Cato Journal, Journal of Labor Research, Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics, and the European Journal of Political Economy. Prof. Lawson has served as President of the Association of Private Enterprise Education and is a member of the Mont Pelerin Society.… Read more