Freedom Is at the Center of a Flourishing Country. How Is the U.S. Doing?

How free are you and how free is your country? The question matters because the degree of freedom you enjoy greatly impacts human well- being. Perceptions matter, too. If we think the world has gotten worse as economies and societies have become more open, we are liable to turn our back to that openness in favor of more government control over some aspects of our lives. Non- democratic regimes also rely on such narratives to justify their power grabs. That is indeed what seems to have been happening in much of the world to varying degrees over the past 15 years. In the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis, we've seen a rise of illiberalism in various forms -- populism of the right and left, nationalism, fascism and hybrid forms of authoritarianism.