This study ranks the American states according to how their public policies affect individual freedoms in the economic, social, and personal spheres. Updating, expanding, and improving upon the three previous editions of Freedom in the 50 States, the 2016 edition examines state and local government intervention across a wide range of policy categories -- from tax burdens to court systems, from eminent domain laws to occupational licensing, and from homeschooling regulation to drug policy. Freedom in the 50 States remains the only index that measures both economic and personal freedoms.

Freedom in the 50 States is one of the most comprehensive and definitive sources on how public policies in each American state impact an individual's economic, social, and personal freedoms. William P. Ruger and Jason Sorens score all 50 states on their overall respect for individual freedom, and also on their respect for three dimensions of freedom considered separately: fiscal policy, regulatory policy, and personal freedom. To calculate these scores, they weight public policies based on the estimated costs that individuals suffer when government restricts their freedoms. This 2023 edition improves on the methodology for weighting and combining state and local policies to create a comprehensive index. The authors introduce new policy variables suggested by readers and changes in the broader policy environment, which include but are not limited to a battery of state-level land-use laws affecting housing, new occupational licensing measures, and qualified immunity limitations.

CONTENTS: The Idea of Economic Freedom; Economic Freedom in Colonial America; The Great American War for Freedom & Independence; 1776-Political Freedom: The Declaration of Independence; 1776-Economic Freedom: Adam Smith & the Wealth of Nations; Victory & its Aftermath; The United States Constitution: Political Freedom; The United States Constitution: Economic Freedom; Free Markets in Action: The People; Free Markets in Action: The Results; Economic Freedom & the State: I; Economic Freedom & the State: II; Economic Freedom: Happiness & Virtue: I; Economic Freedom: Happiness & Virtue: II; Conclusions.

What are the keys to good economic policy? George P. Shultz and John B. Taylor draw from their several decades of experience at the forefront of national economic policy making to show how market fundamentals beat politically popular government interventions—be they from Democrats or Republicans—as a recipe for success. Choose Economic Freedom reconstructs debates from the 1960s and 1970s about the use of wage and price controls as tools of policy, showing how brilliant economists can hold diametrically opposed views about the wisdom of using government intervention to spur the economy. Speeches and documents from the era include a recently unearthed memo from Arthur Burns, Federal Reserve chair, in 1971, in which he argues in favor of controls. Under Burns's guidance and in the face of stubborn inflation, Nixon introduced wage and price guidelines and freezes. But over the long run, these became a drag on the economy and ultimately failed. It wasn't until the Reagan administration that these controls were reversed, resulting in a vibrant economy. The words of iconic economist Milton Friedman—whose "free to choose" ethos inspired the free-market revolution of the Reagan era—along with lessons Shultz and Taylor learned from the front lines, demonstrate that tried-and-true economic policy works.

This is the ninth edition of the annual report, Economic Freedom of North America. The results of this year's study confirm those published in the previous eight editions: economic freedom is a powerful driver of growth and prosperity. Those provinces and states that have low levels of economic freedom continue to leave their citizens poorer than they need or should be.

Economic theory and a growing body of empirical research support the idea that economic freedom is an important ingredient to long-run economic prosperity. However, the determinants of economic freedom are much less understood than the benefits that freedom provides. Economic Freedom and Prosperity addresses this major gap in our knowledge. If private property and economic freedom are essential for achieving and maintaining a high standard of living, it is crucial to understand how improvements in these areas have been achieved and whether there are lessons that can be replicated in less free areas of the world today. In this edited collection, contributors investigate this research question through multiple methodologies. Beginning with three chapters that theoretically explore ways in which economic freedom might be better achieved, it then moves on to a series of empirical chapters that examine questions including the speed and permanence of reform, the deep long-run determinants of economic freedom, the relationship between voice and exit in impacting freedom, the role of crises in generating change, and immigration. Finally, the book considers the evolution of freedom in China, development economics, and international trade, and it concludes with a consideration of what is necessary to promote a humane liberalism consistent with economic freedom. Economic Freedom and Prosperity will be of great interest to all social scientists concerned with issues of institutional change. It will particularly appeal to those concerned with economic development and the determinants of an environment of economic freedom.

The 1995 index of economic freedom / by Bryan T. Johnson and Thomas P. Sheehy.