Heritage Foundation Index of Economic Freedom

http://www.heritage.org/research/features/index

Right-wing think-tank The Heritage Foundation publishes a relatively sober and useful assessment of economic policy in its annual Index of Economic Freedom. The book costs money, but if you click "Countries" you can browse the country ratings free of charge. The methodology isn't that sophisticated -- e.g., assigning "Regulatory Quality" ratings based on commentary in the State Deparment Commercial Guides. And to the fire-breathing conservatives at Heritage, the more free-market it is, the better, no matter what. Still, the indicators of economic policy quality are useful, and the price is right.

KEYWORDS: economic openness, regulatory quality, taxation, economic stability, economic liberalization