This is definitely not a ranking of the “best” country in the world, still less to those where it would be best to live. But it may be a good indication of the places where one can hope to undertake without too many pitfalls. The foundation “Heritage”, presented recently in Paris, its index 2019 of economic freedom (Index for Economic Freedom) across the world. The group of conservative think-tank, which has experienced its first hours of glory during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, is an institution particularly famous in Washington, and has had more than its say in the appointment of the directors Trump.
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And it is little to say that according to it, France is not the new eldorado! With a score of 63.8 per cent, it is located just above the world average (60,8%), below the eu average (68.6 percent), and very far from the world champions: hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Switzerland, or Australia.
France is “saved” in the classification by its free trade without question
In this study dense (nearly 500 pages), the foundation explores, first, the positive correlation between the score of the “economic freedom” of a country and its GDP per capita. According to it, the nations with the most “free” economically, the GDP per capita much higher than those that restrict the ability to undertake, (with the exception of Africa). In the same way, the drastic decrease of poverty in the world (34% in 1993 compared to 10% in 2015) would be the result of the increase of economic freedoms, prior to the development of giants like China or India. Repeated each year since 1995, the study was based on twelve criteria objectives, ranging from respect of intellectual property to the public expenses through the business constraints.
of course, where France is his worst score, it is on the chapter of the public budget, noted below 4% of the “rate freedom” for 2015 (the world average is about 65% over the period). The debt is obviously cited, as well as the tax system overall, the corollary of spending. The legislation is rather well noted in regards to the freedom of the business (81,2%), and considerably less well on the freedom of the work (45,2%), due to the heaviness of the French law on the matter. The “freedom of money” is scored well (79,1%), based only on price stability, the focus group, taking the advantage of the euro and its current management.
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On the plan of the legal security, the report underlines the effectiveness of the right of the property, but deplores the fact a real estate law “complex and inefficient”. He lampooned finally the effectiveness of the French judicial system, below the european average, just like the”integrity of government”, a note obtained primarily from the work of Transparency International on corruption of the administration, or public policy makers in general. France, with a score of 63.8%, seems to be slightly safer than the global average, but well below the eu average (68.6 percent).
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On the other hand, the country is among the good scores on the openness of its markets (rated at 81%), as a member of the european Union, having an aggregate value exports/imports 62.9% of GDP and an average tariff of customs-2%. A free trade assumed that catches up so ill scores on the liberalism “inside”. But can we take things way too monolithic to judge the “freedom” of a country?
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each country has its vision of free enterprise
based on criteria that are mixed together and weighted, the study can be seen as quite dogmatic. It uses a recent definition of “liberalism”, which combines the internal policies of reduced government spending, or deregulation (in all areas), with a wide-open international trade. Such an approach raises the question, to the extent that different approaches to economic liberalism are beginning to emerge, as demonstrated by the protectionism of Donald Trump.
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However, in the detailed description of each country, the ranking resists quite well to generalizations, and is careful to consider liberalism as “political,” even if he speaks of the “social progress”, a concept that is even more subjective and difficult to quantify. The report is not a champion of “freedom” on all subjects, and it is without doubt his teaching the most profound: each country has its own way of thinking of the free-enterprise system, each government has its audacities and fears, reflected in such or such domain of the law, and its economic success is not always assigned as expected. Singapore, second in the rankings, certainly has attractive tax regime, open ports on the seven seas… But his State remains capable of imposing a penalty for ecological Tesla, saying the electric car is polluting. In addition, if the Heritage Foundation is critical of the participation of the French State in some companies, that say so of the of the asian champion who invests in virtually any economy! Finally, if Singapore stands out for its economic freedoms, the garden city, highlights its “security” to attract international business. A security that passes by limited civil liberties (the foundation also notes).
As for the Swiss, fourth, it also owes its strong economy to institutions as discreet as powerful, and a political philosophy unique. Difficult in these conditions to get a perfect cocktail of “liberalism” to put it at the top of the rankings. It is therefore not sufficient of a corpus of ideological-to enrich permanently and join the “developed” countries. Above all, we need a people willing to do it… and may be what is called a certain genius national: the foundation does not make mistake, stressing that France will always be able to rely on its “entrepreneurs traditionally resilient”. A formula that pretty much sums up our strengths and our difficulties.
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