Estonia

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. 

"Discovering" Estonia

Just warming up here... I thought I would start a blog on something that has captivated my interest and held it for longer than a few months: Estonia -- a tiny country south of Finland with a population of just 1.4 mm people.  The  ELCA has a nice background bit about Estonia (tho I make no endorsements about the ELCA since I'm not religious).  See also CIA World Factbook.

         

I first travelled to Estonia in September 2004 while on a consulting gig through the UCLA Anderson School's Global Access Program.  My colleagues and I were hired to help a Finnish company, GoodMood, develop a US market entry strategy.  GoodMood officials in Helsinki recommended a weekend jaunt to Tallinn, Estonia's capital.  We flew there via an 18 minute helicopter ride and immediately took to its medieval charm and bustling nightlife.  This place smokes!

Since then, I have returned twice, in September 2005 for a realestate conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, and again in December 2005 to purchase my first apartment.  I am scheduled to travel to Tallinn in April 2006 for three weeks, and again in June, and perhaps again in the Fall.