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Economic Freedom: Theory First, Empiricism After

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  • Judit Kapás
  • Pál Czeglédi

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to argue in favor of theoretically well-founded empirical examinations on how economic freedom affects economic performance, which is not the case, as we argue, in most of the huge empirical literature developed after the construction of various indexes of economic freedom. In this spirit we develop a concept of economic freedom based on Hayek (1960): absence of coercion except for state coercion to enforce known general rules. Trying to formulate Hayek’s ideas on a less abstract level, as a step further we propose a categorization of government actions, which gives us some guidance about which government actions hurt and which do not hurt economic freedom. Our concept of economic freedom allows us to conceptualize the measurement of economic freedom in a different way from the indexes of economic freedom.

Suggested Citation

  • Judit Kapás & Pál Czeglédi, 2007. "Economic Freedom: Theory First, Empiricism After," ICER Working Papers 10-2007, ICER - International Centre for Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:icr:wpicer:10-2007
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Enrico Colombatto, 2007. "It was the rule of law. Will it be the rule of judges?," ICER Working Papers 41-2007, ICER - International Centre for Economic Research.

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