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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group
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To: maceng2 who wrote (104439)7/9/2003 5:16:59 PM
From: LindyBill  Read Replies (2) of 281500
 
The Anglosphere and Economic Freedom
Phil Bradley asks us to spot the common thread here

The Cato institute has just released its annual Economic Freedom of the World Report and interesting reading it makes.

The top 10 rankings of economic freedom - 1. being the most free - are as follows:

1. Hong Kong
2. Singapore
3. United States
4. New Zealand
5. United Kingdom
6. Canada
7. Switzerland
8. Ireland
9. Australia
10. Netherlands

The report itself analyses how over the long term differences in economic freedom results in large differences in economic growth and prosperity. If you are interested in the details you can read the report.

What struck me is that every significant anglophone country makes the top ten and only a single continental EU country (Holland) sneaks in at last place. The list is rounded out by Britain's last colony of any size (Hong Kong), another ex-british colony that has 100% anglophone middle class (Singapore), and the last continental EU hold-out (Switzerland).

France comes far down the list at number 44, Italy and German do a little better, ranked at 35th and 20th respectively.

Most people think of the Anglosphere in terms of political alignment in world affairs. The Cato report identifies something more important, which is a common understanding of how economic freedoms are integral to society, our economic well-being and personal liberty. Those in continental Europe who wonder why Britain is so sceptical of the EU and its attempts to 'harmonize', have only to read this report to see that harmonization would unavoidably result in the erosion of freedoms in Britain.

Phil Bradley

samizdata.net
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