The key ingredients of economic freedom are personal choice, voluntary exchange, freedom to compete, and protection of the person and property. Economic freedom liberates individuals and families from government dependence and gives them control of their own future. Empirical research shows this spurs economic growth by unleashing individual dynamism. It also leads to democracy and other freedoms as people are unfettered from government dependence. Economic Freedom of the World is the most comprehensive index of economic freedom in the world and the only one that uses reproducible measures appropriate for peer-reviewed research. The 2004 annual report explores the evolution of economic freedom over the last quarter century and the impact of economic freedom on people’s lives. It answers many important questions, including : Has economic freedom been increasing or decreasing ? Do poor people benefit when countries become economically free ? What countries have made big gains in economic freedom in recent years ? What effect does economic freedom have on prosperity ? How does economic freedom influence investment ? How does economic freedom influence productivity ? What impact does economic freedom have on income inequality ?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR James Gwartney
James D. Gwartney holds the Gus A. Stavros Eminent Scholar Chair at Florida State University, where he directs the Stavros Center for the Advancement of Free Enterprise and Economic Education. He served as Chief Economist of the Joint Economic Committee of the US Congress from 1999 to 2000. He is the coauthor of Economics: Private and Public Choice (Thompson/South-Western Press). This text, now in its 10th edition, has been used by more than 1 million students during the last two decades. His publications have appeared in both professional journals and popular media such as the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. His Ph.D. in economics is from the University of Washington. A member of the Mont Pelerin Society, he was invited by the in-coming Putin Administration in March 2000 to make presentations and have discussions with leading Russian economists concerning the future of the Russian economy. In 2004, he was the recipient of the Adam Smith Award from the Association of Private Enterprise Education for his contribution to the advancement of free market ideals.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Robert Lawson
Robert A. Lawson is Professor of Economics and George H. Moor Chair in the School of Management at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. He earned his B.S. in economics from the Honors Tutorial College at Ohio University and his M.S. and Ph.D. in economics from Florida State University. Lawson has professional publications in Public Choice, Cato Journal, Journal of Labor Research, Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics, and the European Journal of Political Economy. He is a senior fellow with the Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions and currently the President of the Association of Private Enterprise Education.
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