Economic Freedom of the World Report 2012: Hong Kong comes in first; U.S. ranks 18th
Robert Lawson, the Jerome M. Fullinwider Chair in Economic Freedom in the O’Neil Center for Global Markets and Freedom at SMU's Cox School of Business, is a co-author of the newly published Economic Freedom of the World Report.
By Emi Kolawole
It is the 100th anniversary of Milton Friedman’s birth this year, adding particular significance to the release of the Economic Freedom of the World Report, which Friedman was instrumental in creating.
The Fraser Institute, a Canadian think tank, announced the release Tuesday. The report is supported by the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation as well as the Searle Freedom Trust. Authors and contributors hailed from a variety of institutions, including Florida State University, Southern Methodist University, Beloit College, the Cato Institute, the World Bank, and the World Economic Forum.
The report ranks countries, measuring “the degree to which the policies and institutions of countries are supportive of economic freedom.” The report is compiled using 42 variables to measure economic freedom across five areas....