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GlossaryPeople

Economic Freedom

The freedom to decide how to spend your time and money, where to work, and what to build.

Also: freedom, individual freedom, choice

What the essays say

The capitalism essay values economic freedom, then asks whether the economy expands people’s choices or, in some cases, narrows them.

Individual economic freedom matters to me too.

People should have a lot of freedom to decide how they spend their time, where they work, what they buy, what they sell, what they save, what they invest in, and what they build.

Where people disagree

  • Some define economic freedom mainly as freedom from interference: low taxes, light regulation, secure property.
  • Others define it as real ability to choose, which can depend on education, health, and security as much as on rules.
  • Indexes that rank countries by economic freedom are themselves debated, because they build in one of these definitions.

Definitions and "Where people disagree" notes are drafted with AI assistance. Quotes from the essays are checked word for word.

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Essays that explore this

Further reading

All glossary terms