When,, the Heritage Foundation released its Index of Economic Freedom,” citizens zens of the Czech Republic could be proud that their economy was rated the 12th freest in the world, up with Canada and the Bahamas. But then a few weeks later, the CATO Institute (among others) put out another index, ” Economic Freedom of the World,” which had the Czech Republic at number 51, down around Colombia and Pakistan. Heritage listed the welfare-laden Dutch economy at number 6 (above the United States), but CATO put the Netherlands at 11. CATO has Bangladesh up in 66th place with Israel and Turkey, while Heritage has Bangladesh at 107 with Nicaragua and Camcroon. There are methodological differences, of course, but probably the central lesson has to do with the ineffciencies in the foundation sector of our economy.
