Positive Liberty and the Free States
Matt Yglesias points to a new study from the Mercatus Center which ranks the most and least free states in the nation. The study is valuable because it helps illustrate just how mercurial the term “freedom” really is. Here’s the map:
I think the problem with this sort of analysis is that it places far too much emphasis on low taxes and low levels of regulation and far too little on positive liberties such as access to healthcare, quality education, entertainment, and job opportunities. As Matt notes, all this study reveals is that the authors’ “understanding of the individual
I think the problem with this sort of analysis is that it places far too much emphasis on low taxes and low levels of regulation and far too little on positive liberties such as access to healthcare, quality education, entertainment, and job opportunities. As Matt notes, all this study reveals is that the authors’ “understanding of the individual
Market Reforms Could Help Slow Healthcare Spending Growth
Kevin Drum has a very smart post up on the increasing burden of healthcare spending in the U.S. and across the developed world. He notes that the American system is much more expensive than any other developed nation, and attributes this to the lack of a more centralized healthcare system.
I think it’s quite a bit more complicated than that, but the interesting point Kevin makes is that growth in healthcare spending has been increasing across all OECD nations regardless of their healthcare systems. The following chart is taken from the Kaiser Foundation:
I think it’s quite a bit more complicated than that, but the interesting point Kevin makes is that growth in healthcare spending has been increasing across all OECD nations regardless of their healthcare systems. The following chart is taken from the Kaiser Foundation:
