Question

How does the Heritage Foundation measure economic freedom?

Answer 1

The Heritage Foundation measures 10 components of economic freedom on a scale of 0–100. It assigns the 10 components to four categories: rule of law (property rights, freedom from corruption), limited government (fiscal freedom, government spending), regulatory efficiency (business freedom, labor freedom, monetary freedom), and open markets (trade freedom, investment freedom, financial freedom). Plato Answer

Answer 2

The property rights component assesses the extent to which a country’s legal framework allows individuals to freely accumulate private property, secured by clear laws that are enforced effectively by the government. Relying on a mix of survey data and independent assessments, it provides a quantifiable measure of the degree to which a country’s laws protect private property rights and the extent to which those laws are respected. It also assesses the likelihood that private property will be expropriated by the state.