Towards a Worldwide Index of Human Freedom

Human Freedom from Pericles to Measurement • 47
Appendix A: Developing a Measurement
Taxonomy and Other Puzzles
This appendix has a limited goal: simply to lay out some of the challenges
faced in developing a freedom measure. It makes no claim to being a full
menu of these challenges. It merely aims to develop a partial menu of
some important items.
Taxonomy
An important step in developing a taxonomy of freedom is to clear up a
confusion found almost everywhere in discussing freedom. Policy papers,
leaders, and even thinkers talk about freedom of the press, freedom of
religion, political freedom, freedom of speech, and so on, as if they are
talking similar about similar things.
These are not similar things. There are two distinct, logical dimensions
of freedom being confused here, labeled, arbitrarily, “spheres” and
“actions” of freedom. By sphere, I mean differing aspects of behavior;
for example, political versus religious versus civic or personal activities.
By actions, I simply mean actions in these spheres. Here I have in mind
things like freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press,
and so on. These are the traditional negative freedoms.
A simple matrix for ‘Country X’ makes clear why these are separate:
Spheres of
Freedom
Freedom Actions
Speech Assembly Press Etc.
Personal 4.7 3.6 2.1 …
Political 4 1 4.5 …
Religious 1 3.5 0.9 …
Etc. … … … …
In the above matrix, Country X allows moderately good freedom of
speech in religion, but suppresses religious assemblies and press discussions
of religion. X’s security forces are much more tolerant of political
discussions than they are of politically-oriented assembly or journalism.
Thus, for example, it does not make sense to talk about religious freedom
and freedom of the media as if they were similar creatures. A free
media can explore political, social, religious issues, etc. However, religious
freedom can be expressed in the media, association, speech, etc.
Once the link between democracy and political freedom is broken,
the question arises as to whether political freedom is a specific sphere of
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