Economic Freedom

Doing Business 2.0: A Better Guide for Policy Makers

— Jul 27, 2022

Doing Business 2.0: A Better Guide for Policy Makers argues that when the World Bank cancelled its Doing Business report last year, it created a massive information void for economists and governments seeking to spur economic growth and reduce poverty.

The Human Freedom Index 2021

— Dec 16, 2021

This year’s Human Freedom Index finds that, even before COVID and the response from governments worldwide, global freedom was on the wane.

Economic Freedom of North America 2021

— Nov 16, 2021

According to this year’s Economic Freedom of North America report, which measures government spending, taxation and labour market restrictions, Canadian provinces once again lag behind U.S. states.

Visit our interactive Economic Freedom of North America website

Economic Freedom of the World: 2021 Annual Report

— Sep 14, 2021

Economic Freedom of the World: 2021 Annual Report is the world's premier measurement of economic freedom, ranking countries based on five areas—size of government, legal structure and property rights, access to sound money, freedom to trade internationally, regulation of credit, labour and business. In this year's report, which compares 165 countries and territories, Hong Kong is again number one—although China's heavy hand will likely lower Hong Kong's ranking in future years—and Canada (14th) trails the United States (6th).

View the Interactive Map, Graphs, and Dataset

Economic Freedom Promotes Upward Income Mobility

— Aug 31, 2021

Economic Freedom Promotes Upward Income Mobility finds that the costs of government regulation, including labour regulations such as licencing and accreditation, represent a real barrier for Canadians—especially low-income Canadians—trying to move up the income ladder.

The Determinants of Subnational Economic Freedom: An Analysis of Data for Seven Countries with Implications for Optimal Jurisdiction Size

— Jul 6, 2021

The Determinants of Subnational Economic Freedom: An Analysis of Data for Seven Countries with Implications for Optimal Jurisdiction Size is a new study that examines if there is an optimal size for a subnational jurisdiction (states and provinces) that will maximize economic freedom. Covering a total of 158 states and provinces in seven countries, this study finds that provinces and states such as Ontario, California and New York whose populations have grown beyond 9.5 million people tend to have higher levels of government spending, higher taxes and less flexible labour markets.

The Human Freedom Index 2020

— Dec 17, 2020

This year’s Human Freedom Index, which spotlights 162 countries, measures personal freedom—which includes freedom of movement, speech, assembly and religion—alongside economic freedom, the ability of individuals to make their own economic decisions without government or crony interference. New Zealand tops this year’s freedom index followed by Switzerland, Hong Kong, Denmark and Australia. The five least-free countries are (in descending order) Iran, Yemen, Venezuela, Sudan and Syria. Rankings for other significant countries include Canada (6th), Germany (9th), the United Kingdom and the United States (tied for 17th).