Estonia Most Libertarian Country

A new index created by the State of World Liberty Project (SoWL) ranked Estonia as the most libertarian country globally.  The index "monitors the level of individual and economic freedom and limited government in countries around the world" and is a compilation of "four noted freedom indices". 

These indices are: The Fraser Institute and The Cato Institute’s "2005 Economic Freedom of the World" index; The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal’s “2006 Index of Economic Freedom"; Freedom House’s "2005 Freedom in the World"; and Reporters without Borders’ "Press Freedom Index".

Expectedly, Estonia ranks very high on the economic freedom indices, but I am particularly pleased to see that it rates highly on the Press Freedom Index, despite the fact that because this index only assigns a score of between 1 (highest) and 7 (lowest), it represents a relatively dull measure. 

It would be worth factoring a "sustainability" component into the SoWL index since free scoieties aren't terribly free unless they can manage natural resources effectively.  Still, it's a tremendously insightful index and confirms my own sense about Estonia's unique place in the world as a beacon of economic freedom. 

No coincidence that Estonia ranks 8th on the Forbes Capital Hospitality Index in 2006.