Index of Freedom in the World

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The Index of Freedom in the World (also known as the Freedom Index or Worldwide Index of Human Freedom) is an index of civil liberties published in late 2012 by Canada's Fraser Institute, Germany's Liberales Institut, and the U.S. Cato Institute.[1]

The index is based on measures of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, individual economic choice, freedom of association, freedom of assembly, violence and crimes, freedom of movement, LGBT rights, and women's rights. Other components of the Freedom Index include human trafficking, sexual violence, female genital mutilation, homicide, freedom of movement, and adoption by homosexuals.[2]

The index rates countries on a scale from 10 (most free) to 0 (least free). In 2012, the most free countries were New Zealand (8.73), the Netherlands (8.47), and Hong Kong (8.39). Least free were Zimbabwe (3.38), Burma (3.72), and Pakistan (4.47).[3] The components on which the index is based can be divided into economic freedoms and other personal freedoms. Highest ranking in economic freedoms were Hong Kong (9.02) and Singapore (8.75). Highest ranking in personal freedoms were the Netherlands (9.5) and Uruguay (9.4).[3]

The Freedom Index does not measure democracy, but it does measure freedom of speech and media, press killings, political imprisonment, etc. According to the report, democracy may be the form of government that best protects freedom, but democracy may both increase and reduce freedom. Nevertheless, democracy strongly (0.79) correlates with freedom, as measured by the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index and the Freedom Index.[3]

The Freedom Index is included as part of the book Towards a Worldwide Index of Human Freedom, written by 13 academics and economists from Canada (Fraser Institute), the United States (Cato Institute, Emory University), Germany (Liberales Institut, Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main), and Russia (Institute of Economic Analysis). Among other claims, the report argues that the criminalization of and the war on drugs have restricted many components of freedom.[2]

See also

References

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External links

Human Freedom, Fraser Institute web page

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