David R. Henderson: Why Economic Freedom Matters

A global status report on the elements of broad well-being.

Each year the Economic Freedom of the World report does something important: it measures whether ordinary people are allowed to make economic choices—work, save, start a business, trade, invest, and keep what they earn—without being pushed around by the government. The newest edition, published in 2025 by the Fraser Institute’s global network, compiles data through 2023 and ranks 165 jurisdictions.

David R. Henderson: Giving Thanks for Freedom and Growth

Economic liberty is the foundation of our better lives.

"Why did men die of hunger, for six thousand years? Why did they walk, and carry goods and other men on their backs, for six thousand years, and suddenly, in one century, only on a sixth of this earth’s surface, they make steamships, railroads, motors, and are now flying around the earth in its utmost heights of air? Why did families live thousands of years in floorless hovels, without windows or chimneys, then, in eighty years and only in these United States, they are taking floors, chimneys, glass windows for granted, and regarding electric lights, porcelain toilets, and window screens as minimum necessities?"—Rose Wilder Lane, The Discovery of Freedom: Man’s Struggle against Authority, 1943

David R Henderson: Setting the Record Straight on Ivermectin

The COVID-19 pandemic brought us a panoply of lies and evidence-light declarations that were less intended to inform Americans than to consolidate power and buy time. Among these were Anthony Fauci’s famous shift from arguing against wearing masks, to recommending wearing one, and, finally, to wearing two.

Fauci also tried to convince us that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was not manipulated in a lab even though his inner circle had emailed him about “unusual features” of the virus that looked “potentially engineered.” And, of course, we had “fifteen days to stop the spread,” an evergreen concept that dragged on for two years. Lest readers fault us for forgetting, there was also the “gain of function” controversy, the focused protection battle, school closures, lockdowns, vaccine mandates, and vaccine misrepresentations.

David R. Henderson: What Causes Economic Growth?

In my previous article, I discussed the wonders of economic growth. I focused on the wonders for people in the United States and in other rich countries. But economic growth has been even more important for people in poor countries. In the last quarter century, it has pulled over one billion people out of extreme poverty and has created a large and vibrant middle class in formerly poor countries.

It’s important to understand the major causes of economic growth. Among them are innovation, free trade, and relatively free economies generally. And the key to economic growth creating long-term wealth is for it to continue so that we can take advantage of the miracle of compounding.