Economic Freedom of the World, 2007

Frihetsfilosofi bör i mitt tycke betraktas ur moraliskt perspektiv snarare än vilket resultat det ger , men ibland behövs det påpekas att det omoraliska dessutom är gravt samhällsskadligt även ur ren effektivitetssynpunkt. Som exempel på detta har Cato Institute nyligen gett ut Economic Freedom of the World, 2007 (pdf), med följande kritererier för ekonomisk frihet:

• personal choice
• voluntary exchange coordinated by markets
• freedom to enter and compete in markets
• protection of persons and their property from aggression by others.

Som mäts inom följande områden (mer detaljerat vad som mäts anges i rapporten):

[1] Size of Government: Expenditures, and Taxes, Enterprises;
[2] Legal Structure and Security of Property Rights;
[3] Access to Sound Money;
[4] Freedom to Trade Internationally;
[5] Regulation of Credit, Labor,and Business.

Ur sammanfattningen:

Since 1980, there has been a gradual but steady movement toward economic freedom. Monetary policy has been more stable, trade barriers have declined, high marginal tax rates reduced, and exchange rate controls virtually eliminated. Consider the following. The median inflation rate was 4% in 2007, down from 14% in 1980. Among the 93 countries with data in both periods, only 17 had a double-digit average annual rate of inflation during the period from 2003 to 2007, compared to 61 for the five years ending in 1980. The mean tariff rate fell from 26.2% in 1980 to 9.0% in 2007. The number of countries imposing marginal tax rates of 50% or more fell from 62 in 1980 to 9 in 2007. Fifty countries imposed exchange rate controls that generated a black market premium of 10% or more in 1980, but only three in 2007.

The economic progress during this era has been impressive. The world’s inflation-adjusted, per-capita income rose from $5,400 in 1980 to $8,500 in 2005, an average annual growth rate of approximately 2% (Shleifer, 2009). Over this quarter of a century, the one-dollar-per-day poverty rate fell from 34% to 19%, life expectancy has risen from 64.4 years to 68.1, and the infant mortality rate has fallen from 53% to 36%. Other indicators of quality of life such as school attendance, literacy, and access to clean water have all improved.

Indexutvecklingen för de 102 länder som rankats sedan 1980 (5,55 motsvarar ungefär Burundi i 2007 års mätning, 6,70 motsvarar ungefär Israel) [samtliga diagram i inlägget klickbara för förstoring]:
Hongkong toppar listan över ekonomisk frihet, USA hamnar på en sjätteplats och Sverige placerar sig på 39:e plats (mellan Spanien och Peru) med 7,28/10 i totalbetyg. Sveriges betyg i de individuella kategorierna spänner mellan en 137:e-placering i Size of Government och en 8:e-plats i Legal System & Property Rights.

Några ytterligare diagram:

Ekonomisk frihet kontra köpkraftsjusterad BNP per capita:
Ekonomisk frihet kontra köpkraftsjusterad tillväxt:
Ekonomisk frihet kontra fattigaste tiondelens andel av den totala inkomsten:
Ekonomisk frihet kontra fattigaste tiondelens inkomst i dollar:
Ekonomisk frihet kontra förväntad livslängd:
Ekonomisk frihet kontra 2008 Environmental Performance Index:
Ekonomisk frihet kontra politiska rättigheter:
Ekonomisk frihet kontra civila rättigheter:
Tidigare inlägg på temat:
- Ekonomisk frihet kontra BNP per capita