Cato Daily Podcast The Human Freedom Index 2024: A Decade of Tracking Human Freedom Across the Globe
Dec 17, 2024
Ian Vasquez, lead author of the Human Freedom Index, discusses a decade of tracking global human freedom. He reveals troubling trends, including a significant decline in freedoms since 2007, especially exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Vasquez highlights a drop in the U.S. ranking and its implications for innovation and growth. He also analyzes recent shifts in countries like Nicaragua and Argentina, where emerging leaders may rejuvenate economic freedoms. Dive into the intricate links between personal and economic freedoms and their global impact.
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Human Freedom Index Purpose
- The Human Freedom Index measures freedom comprehensively across economic, personal, and civil liberties.
- It uses 86 indicators for 165 countries, allowing for trend analysis and correlation with various social phenomena.
Freedom and Well-being
- A strong correlation exists between freedom and human well-being indicators.
- Freer countries tend to have higher incomes, better health outcomes, more social tolerance, and increased innovation.
Global Freedom Trends
- Global freedom peaked around 2007, declined slowly, and then plummeted in 2020 with the pandemic.
- This decline significantly impacted various freedoms, setting back progress by decades.