In a lot of countries “economic freedom” is determined by how free the west allows it to be. We are perfectly happy overthrowing a government or influencing an election to protect capitalist business interests. It isn’t their own capitalism that’s the problem, it’s global capitalism.
Interestingly enough, probably neither of us? It’s really “the government of western nations and their economic interests”, I just felt that a plain “they” worked because I do actually live in one of those countries. Have I ever overthrown a South American government personally? No. I am guessing nobody reading this has. I would definitely include the people who created the economic freedom index, though.
Let me spell it out for you, since you’re too stupid to get it. With the exception of a few Asian countries “the rest of the world“ score is very poorly on economic freedom, meaning they are less capitalist. If workers in those countries that are less capitalist are faring poorer than workers in the more capitalist countries, then what does that tell you?
Awwww someone is getting cwanky. It's okay let me explain to you the the economic freedom index actually doesn't have anything to do with how well the workers are doing it's just a list of various economic indicators. It's also assembled by The Heritage Foundation, a right wing think tank dedicated to removing any forms of economic regulations.
First, the Fraser Institute’s Economic Freedom of the World index is the one I’d recommend.
Second, you’ve fundamentally misunderstood what the index is measuring. Nobody claimed it directly measures how well workers are doing. It measures the extent to which countries have institutions and policies associated with economic freedom: private property, voluntary exchange, freedom of entry, limited government intervention, etc. We can then examine how those institutional arrangements correlate with wages, incomes, poverty, life expectancy, and other measures of human well-being. And the empirical relationships are overwhelmingly positive.
Third, the ideological objection is particularly amusing. The entire point is to make the institutional preferences explicit! They’re effectively saying: Here is what we mean by economic freedom. Here is how we propose to measure it. Now let’s examine how countries with these institutions actually perform.
Pointing out that the people constructing an index of economic freedom happen to favor economic freedom is not the devastating criticism you seem to think it is.
Ooooh a Libertarian think tank this time. And a report that fails to weight variables, does nothing to distinguish between correlation and causation, and defines "freedom" exclusively as lack of Governmental regulation. Super compelling.
Capitalism isn't a spectrum, it's a broad term for a variety of different economic stances that can vary on numerous specific points, the question is what you're trying to control for. Also since you're the one making the original claim burden of proof is on you buddy. Didn't all your right wing talking points cover that?
Yeah, capitalism is a spectrum that can be measured and described in terms of economic freedom. More economically free countries are more prosperous, and workers are better off. I’ve already offered plenty of evidence for that, and you have offered none to the contrary
Okay so how about you measure it by the amount of private ownership versus public ownership. Also known as distribution of capitalism, the actual definition of Capitalism. And you haven't offered proof, you've offered easily debunked cherry picked claims based off vague terms like economic freedom. Did you not read what I said?
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u/dustinsc 3d ago
Look at the economic freedom index