Economic Freedom

Economic Freedom of the World: 1997 Annual Report

— Jan 1, 1997

This report is a continuation of an ongoing process designed to develop a comprehensive and accurate measure of economic freedom across countries. The roots of the project go back more than a decade.

Read the Full Publication

Economic Freedom of the World: 1975-1995

— Jan 1, 1996

The central elements of economic freedom are personal choice, protection of private property, and freedom of exchange. The goal of this study is to construct an index that is (a) a good indicator of economic freedom across countries and (b) based on objective components that can be updated regularly and used to track future changes in economic freedom.

Read the Full Publication

YouthQuake

— Jan 1, 1996

For the past two decades Canadian politicians of all stripes have told us that it's time to stop "mortgaging our future." They've talked about the unfairness of saddling future generations with a massive public debt, and they've talked about the need to correct the deep flaws inherent in our welfare state entitlements.

Read the Full Publication

What Everyone Should Know About Economics and Prosperity

— May 1, 1993

Most of you do not want to spend a lot of time learning new terms, memorizing formulas, or mastering details that are important only to professional economists. What you want are the insights of economics that really matter-those that will help you make better personal choices and enhance your understanding of our complex world.

Read the Full Publication

Economic Freedom: Toward a Theory of Measurement

— Feb 1, 1993

This is the second book in a series of ongoing discussions exploring economic freedom. This book surveys the philosophical roots of economic freedom, examining the writings of John Locke, Milton Friedman, and Murray Rothbard in an attempt to set the conceptual basis for the measurement.

Read the Full Publication

Rating Global Economic Freedom

— Jan 1, 1992

This book is a decisive step forward in the intellectual development of the concept of economic freedom. It contributes both to the debate about alternative conceptualizations of economic liberty and to the empirical implementation of the various characterizations.

The Economic Consequences of Political Independence: The Case of Bermuda

— Jan 1, 1990

For three years the Fraser Institute has conducted a project examining the relationship between economic development and civil, political, and economic freedoms. The purpose of the project is ultimately to construct a global index of economic freedom and thereby to facilitate such an examination. Such an index could also be used in analysis to predict the economic consequence of changes in the level of economic freedom in different countries.

Read the Full Publication

Recent Economic Freedom Commentaries and Blog Posts

Canadians right to worry about ‘big government’ agenda

When governments limit economic freedom, citizens find it harder to buy and sell what they want.

Industrial Policy in 2024—another term for socialism?

Appeared in Inside Sources, June 12, 2024

In a free market, private individuals own the means of production but must take their cues from consumers.

Ottawa’s stifling policies will test optimism of Canadian CEOs

The success of any economy hinges on its institutions including its laws and regulations.

Oakville teens should learn about communism before promoting it

Appeared in the Toronto Sun, May 28, 2024

Seventeen per cent of Canada’s 18- to 34-year-olds believe communism is the ideal economic system.

Central planning from the inside—an interview with a Soviet-era economist

When more resources are controlled by politicians and the bureaucracy, there's more favouritism and discrimination.

Economic freedom can help improve allocation of human capital for men and women

The gender wage gap is largely explained by differences in the educational and employment choices of men and women.

Singapore’s industrial policy promotes real economic growth

Politicians and bureaucrats in Canada are rarely affected if the claimed benefits of government initiatives fail to materialize.

Estonia’s success demonstrates power of economic freedom

Appeared in Inside Sources, April 12, 2024

The average Estonian can expect to live nearly eight years longer than the average Russian.

‘New Socialist Man’ was a selfish corrupt cheat

With no carrots in the form of market incentives, socialist leaders deployed a terrifying array of sticks.

Singapore is not China—and some U.S. politicians should study the difference

The average Singaporean earns about 30 per cent more than the average American.