The Cato Institute's 'Economic Freedom of the World 2011 Annual Report': An Analysis

The argument can be made that economic freedom is a necessary precondition to political freedom, yet the unilateral focus of these reforms begs the question whether during the writing of the Washington Consensus, economic liberalization was solely a means to international development, or an end in itself. The historical support is for the latter, as John Williamson later reflects that there was, “a widespread attempt to tighten fiscal policy, extensive financial and trade liberalization, virtually universal elimination of restrictions on inward foreign direct investment, a lot of privatization, and quite a bit of deregulation. [But] the things that got most widely neglected were reforming public expenditure priorities, maintaining a competitive exchange rate, and extending property rights to the informal sector”

In the autobiographical short story “A Measure of Freedom” by Jade Snow Wong, Jade experiences many conflicts. But, there are two conflicts regarding her Chinese culture and the American culture and her teacher and herself that are very significant in the story. Through these two conflicts, Jade shows that she understands more about where her personal boundaries lie in comparison to her cultural boundaries; she also learns that to prove herself to others, she must stand up for herself and stick to what she believes is just.

Using your chosen country, research and answer the following questions about your country in a Microsoft Word Document, or an Rich Text Format (.rtf) Document.

According to Freedomhouse.org, from the 195 countries that had been assessed, forty six percent were rated free, twenty eight percent partly free, and twenty 6 percent not Free. 51 countries have an authoritarian government where the rights of the citizens has been diminished and left in the grasp of the government. All humans have natural rights that should not be squandered by the greediness and cruelty of those in charge. One of the most important questions asked is why some countries are democratic and others authoritarian. During the Cold War, the competition was between capitalism and communism. Since those days, Russia has decided to turn its economic system into a more capitalist structure. Their economy has begun to grow exponentially, which as a result expanded the middle class. The richer the citizens get, the more aware of their surroundings they became. Cuba is a world-renowned oppressive regime under the rule of the Castro family. They dismissed democratic ideology and the free market system, which had been proven successful in other countries. On the opposite side, countries such as Australia provide their citizens with the natural rights they are entitled to. They are a surging capitalist country that has been reaping off the benefits of the open market and private ownership. The main distinction between the two countries of Cuba and Australia is how capitalist the countries are. The degree of their capitalism has a ripple effect on the citizens, which over

I believe that the idea that people can do what they want with what they own, an idea that William Blackstone believed in. America is called “the land of the free” for a reason; our citizens are free, physically and mentally, and this idea allows us to pursue our dreams, our goals, and do what we want to do. This is one of the plethora of ideas that make us Americans, and what makes up our reputation. Additionally, this idea has brought out the best in some people, to be the best they can be; to be athletes, to be doctors, to be politicians. In America, a boy from a poor family with barely enough money to keep the lights on can become the best athlete the world has ever seen, a girl who gets good grades and is a perfect role model could become

The following section I discuss the following: form government, living standards, labor market conditions, the orderliness of leadership and succession, culture and demographic characteristics of the population, integration with international economic systems and security risk.

Poverty, the state of being extremely poor, affects a large proportion of the global population who are unable to access adequate levels of food, shelter, healthcare and education. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that reducing poverty is considered to be a net positive without addressing the concept from a variety of theoretical lenses. The World Bank quantitatively defines those living in poverty as individuals with less than “$US1.90 PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) per person, per day”, by these metrics global poverty has decreased significantly, from approximately 44 percent of the global population in 1981 to an estimated 9.6 percent in 2015 (WB PovcalNet, 2016). Although this is an impressive improvement there are still many people living in poverty around the world. This essay will examine some of the methods used to combat poverty, as well as how it has changed over time. These methods include both free trade, fair trade and their alleged opposition to each other as well as comparing domestic and foreign aid.

In the eyes of many, America can be summed up in a single word: freedom. However, this freedom Americans often boast of is not as unrestricted as many are led to believe. Book censorship not only impinges on the rights of free speech for young students, but also freedom of the press for authors. Book censorship has been around as long as books themselves have. For example, Socrates, a well-known and respected philosopher and teacher, was forced to drink poison for “corrupting” his students with his unconventional ideas and writings. Today, literature is most often banned due to sexual material, offensive language, racism, political bias, violence, immoral behaviors, religious views

‘The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Index of Democracy 2008’, The Economist Online [accessed 8th March 2009] (p. 4) 3 ‘Freedom in the World 2008’, Freedom House [accessed 8th March 2009] (pp. 3-4) 4 ‘Gross National Income per Capita 2007, Atlas Method and PPP’, World Bank World Development Indicators Database [accessed 8th March 2009] (p. 1) 5 Michael E. Alvarez, José Antonio Cheibub, Fernando Limongi and Adam Przeworski, Democracy and Development: Political Institutions and Material Well-being in the World, 1950-1990 (Cambridge, 2000), p. 88 6 ‘Gross National Income per Capita 2007, Atlas Method and PPP’, World Bank World Development Indicators Database (p. 1) 7 The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Index of Democracy 2008’, The Economist Online (pp. 7-8)

List the ten largest recipient countries of US FDI in the years 1990, 2000 and 2010. You

Economic freedom measures how the economy is in a country. High economic freedom means that there is lower poverty levels and lower unemployment rates, along with higher income and a better and cleaner quality of life (Econfreedom). Norway, a constitutional monarchy, has a 71.8 economic freedom score, which makes Norway the twenty-seventh freest country in the whole world. In a recent survey, Norway was rated fifth in Anti-Global watchdog Transparency International. The Norway government was rated as very clean meaning that there is little to no government corruption in the survey and a statement was made, "We are a little behind the other Scandinavian countries," by Tor Dølvik, special advisor to Transparency International in Norway. Dølvik went on to say, "We have had some

Each morning millions of men and women around the globe head to work, most if not all, have a vision and goal to prosper. But for some that may never happen, there’s a division between dream and reality. The reality is the degree of freedom in which a Country offers its people. Freedom regarding allowing and elevating an individual the right to choose their path in life. In 2015 the World erupted on an ever more increasing struggle for power, and reach the highest 10-year decline for World Freedom. Of course, there has been progressing for some; there remain more than half of the 195 countries unfree or oppressed. While 72 Countries last year including America (increased in government interference and regulation) has declined in Freedom, out of the unfree and or oppressed countries. The analysis below compares China and Cuba of any similarities or differences shared.

Economic freedom helps political freedom. If governments own the means of production and set prices, it invariably leads to a powerful state and creates a large bureaucracy which may extend into other areas of life

To answer my research question, I will create a questionnaire in urban and rural areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo that will ask semi-structured questions. Also, it will be important to look at data that represents the social/public service issues, the inability of the government, and placement of people compared to geography. Nevertheless, I will go to the national

Plan a survey research study. Write questionnaire items and construct a quality survey instrument. Assess the