The Index of Economic Freedom is published annually by the Wall Street Journal and The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank whose stated mission is to "formulate and promote... the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense." The 2015 rankings break countries into five categories based on a cumulative metric. Countries like Hong Kong, Singapore, and New Zealand are considered economically Free. Other nations fall into the categories of Mostly Free, Moderately Free, Mostly Unfree, and Repressed. While rankings and economics might not be for everyone, readers may also find much to ponder in the dozens of profiles of individual nations. Here, they can read about measures of Rule of Law, Regulatory Efficiency, Limited Government, Open Markets, and other metrics. The website also allows readers to compare nations. For instance, a comparison of Hong Kong and the United States shows Hong Kong outperforming the U.S. in most categories of economic freedom every year for the past 20 years.
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