Special Report posted February 17, 2012 by The Heritage Foundation Economic Freedom Task Force
America’s Global Agenda for Economic Freedom
Abstract: Promoting economic freedom at home and abroad is essential to revitalizing the U.S. economy. In 2010, for the first time ever, the United States fell from the ranks of the economically free in the Index of Economic Freedom, and economic freedom in the U.S. has continued to decline. The U.S. influence can be decisive in promoting property rights and…
Backgrounder posted March 4, 2011 by James M. Roberts
Holding the Kirchners Accountable for Argentina’s Economic Freefall
Abstract:
In Argentina, the rule of law and free-market principles have been weakened dramatically over the past decade. Under the leadership of Nestor and Cristina Kirchner, economic freedom in Argentina has been in a virtual freefall, corruption has been rampant, and the government’s ties to strongmen in the region, such as Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez, are…
Center for Data Analysis Report posted October 14, 2010 by William W. Beach, Patrick Tyrrell
The 2010 Index of Dependence on Government
Abstract: The number of Americans who pay taxes continues to shrink—and the United States is close to the point at which half of the population will not pay taxes for government benefits they receive. In 2009, 64.3 million Americans depended on the government (read: their fellow citizens) for their daily housing, food, and health care. Starting in 2015, the Social…
Special Report posted September 28, 2010 by William W. Beach, Robert B. Bluey
Slay the Beast: How You Can Save Us from the Massive Debt
Revised and updated October 23, 2012.
Washington’s reckless spending spree of the past several years and unwillingness to confront the mountains of debt coming soon from unreformed federal entitlement programs threaten the economic and social future of the generation currently between the ages of 5 and 30.
The 115 million Americans in this Debt-Paying…
Special Report posted September 21, 2010 by Kim R. Holmes, Ph.D.
Smart Multilateralism and the United Nations
Abstract: Multilateralism is not an end in itself. It is one of many foreign policy tools, admittedly a very important one, in the diplomatic kit. For the United States, multilateralism faces its greatest challenge at the United Nations, where the all-too-frequent clash of worldviews between liberty and authoritarian socialism has stymied multilateralism more than…
WebMemo posted July 27, 2010 by Nicola Moore
U.S. Long-Term Debt Situation Is One of the World’s Worst
This year, the U.S. public debt is projected to reach 62 percent of the economy—up from 40 percent in 2008 and nearly double the historical average, according to recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates. The financial crisis and recession drove much of this debt swing, yet larger problems loom in the future.
By 2030, the CBO projects that debt will more than…
Backgrounder posted June 22, 2010 by J.D. Foster, Ph.D.
What the EU Bailout Means for the U.S.
Abstract: Long-run federal spending is wildly unsustainable, as almost everyone from right to left agrees. Under President Obama, this long-run problem has been married to an almost equally unsustainable short-run problem of deficit spending. Thus, to watch developments in Europe today is to peer through a clear window into America’s own future. As the nation runs…
WebMemo posted May 6, 2010 by Sally McNamara, J.D. Foster, Ph.D.
Five Reasons Not to Support a Bailout of Greece
This weekend, the Eurozone members and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) proposed a €110 billion ($140 billion) rescue package for the struggling Greek economy. In exchange for imposing tough austerity measures—including a three-year public sector pay freeze, an increase in taxes, and a liberalization of labor laws—Eurozone countries will provide €80 billion in…
Testimony posted March 3, 2010 by Derek Scissors, Ph.D.
Chinese Outward Investment: Better Information Required
Testimony before theU.S.-China Economic and Security Review CommissionFebruary 25, 2009
The debate over the nature and implications of Chinese investment around the globe suffers badly from too much speculation and too few facts. It is in the PRC's interest to dampen the former by addressing the latter. However, there is very recent evidence that domestic political…
Backgrounder posted September 17, 2009 by Karen Campbell, Ph.D.
The Economic Role of Government: Focus on Stability, Not Spending
Abstract: Is there a role for government in the
economy? Yes, says Heritage analyst Karen Campbell--but the
government must focus on maintaining economic stability. Fiscal
responsibility is an important part of that stability. Government
debt can quickly become a burden on the economy and weaken its
foundations. Sound macroeconomic policies enhance the…
WebMemo posted June 25, 2009 by Ariel Cohen, Ph.D.
The U.S. Agenda for the Obama-Medvedev Summit
On July 7, Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev will meet
for their first full-fledged summit in Moscow.
The two countries may have a window of opportunity to re-launch
their relationship, which has been set back by Russia's
intransigent positions and its litany of demands. While some in the
U.S. believe that rhetoric alone can revitalize the…
Play Movie
Video Recorded on May 18, 2009
Week in Washington: 5/18/09
he Heritage Foundation's This Week in Washington Video discusses
three major issues: a proposed national energy tax to reduce CO2
emissions, adding non-war related spending to Iraq and Afghanistan
war supplemental legislation, and more government man…
WebMemo posted April 14, 2009 by James M. Roberts
Keeping Score: Will the Summit of the Americas Make the U.S. More Prosperous?
When President Obama leads the U.S. delegation to the April
17-19 Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago, the whole
neighborhood will be watching. The summit will be Obama's first
multilateral meeting with all 34 democratically elected Latin
American heads of state (excluding Cuba).
Confronted by serious economic problems domestically and
unprecedented…
WebMemo posted April 10, 2009 by Theodore R. Bromund, Ph.D.
The G-20 Summit: Mistakes and Missed Opportunities
The G-20 Summit in London promised to bring together the heads
of the world's leading nations to address the global financial
crisis. Instead, the summit agreed on measures that are by turn
weak, vague, and sinister.
When the summit dealt with the current crisis, it failed to move
beyond platitudes or to acknowledge the failure of most of its
members to live up to…