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Economic Freedom & Wealth

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Economic Freedom and Wealth Economic freedom is the ability for an individual to prosper with minimal intervention from government. In an economically free society, individuals are empowered to succeed or fail based on their own individual abilities. Higher levels of economic freedom lead to higher levels of economic growth and income. The level of economic freedom varies among different regions and countries across the globe. Thus, levels of prosperity and wealth also vary widely across the globe. The Heritage Foundation, in cooperation with The Wall Street Journal, researches several factors to measure economic freedom across the globe. The Foundation issues the results of their research in the Index of Economic Freedom. The Foundation measures economic freedom based on ten factors: business freedom, trade freedom, fiscal freedom, government spending, monetary freedom, investment freedom, financial freedom, property rights, freedom from corruption, and labor freedom (The Heritage Foundation, 2011). While each of these factors are weighted equally in the Foundation’s results, business freedom, trade freedom, and government spending are some of the most important factors in the variation of wealth among nations.
Business Freedom Business freedom measures the rights to establish and run a business within a country and the level of government interference. “Burdensome and redundant regulations are the most common barriers to the free conduct of entrepreneurial activity” (Miller and Kim, 2011). Entrepreneurship creates new businesses and provides goods and services that may not yet be available. Regulations should not prevent individuals and businesses from entering into voluntary transactions. These regulations should enforce honesty and transparency in transactions, not hinder the free trade of goods or ideas.
Regulations that hinder the start-up of new

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