Economic Policy News

The House is expected to vote later this week on H.R. 7608, a “minibus” bill that covers fiscal year 2021 spending for the departments of Agriculture, Interior, State, Veterans Affairs, and more. That covers four of the 12 spending bills that fund the federal government. The bill’s text—produced on July 16—is a staggering 689 pages…

I am not in the habit of quoting leftist Noam Chomsky, but this line seems relevant when one considers our growing national debt: “When you trap people in a system of debt, they can’t afford the time to think.” Perhaps now is not the time in the middle of a pandemic, job losses, and threats…

With a score of 65.8 in The Heritage Foundation’s annual Index of Economic Freedom, Costa Rica is the most economically free country in the traditional five-nation Central American bloc. It is ranked 12th among the 32 countries in the Americas region, and is the 68th freest in the world. It came as no surprise, then,…

Colombia in late April became the 37th nation to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, successfully completing an accession process that began in 2013. Although that multilateral organization is far from perfect, as several Heritage Foundation papers have noted, it remains the most significant international organization promoting the values of economic freedom. Colombia’s…

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has confirmed the critical value of e-commerce—and more broadly, digital trade. The outbreak has significantly constrained people’s physical contact and movement to an unprecedented degree. Even so, through digital connections within the United States and around the world, the pandemic has exponentially amplified the exchange of information, products, and other services….

Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins has made a timely case that the U.S. and its allies should foster increased economic freedom as the world reels from the economic impact of COVID-19. At a Heritage Foundation event Tuesday on a transatlantic agenda for economic cooperation, Karins underscored the importance of continuing reforms, enhancing competitiveness, and revitalizing…

U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell highlighted during a recent Senate Banking Committee hearing that the “best way the Federal Reserve can help reduce racial inequality is to return the U.S. labor market to its pre-coronavirus strength.” Indeed, ensuring a thriving job market by advancing economic freedom is the key fundamental element of reducing poverty,…

Iceland, a small Nordic country, has successfully flattened the COVID-19 curve and is ready to move ahead. Life in the country seems to be almost back to normal. Curfews and social-distancing mandates have been lifted, and gyms, swimming pools, and restaurants are reopened. The country opened its airports to tourism on June 15. There had…

In its release of recommendations on how to spur the fastest and most complete rebound from the coronavirus pandemic, The Heritage Foundation’s National Coronavirus Recovery Commission emphasized the importance of economic freedom and the free-market system: In all of history, there has been no better model than that of free markets in lifting people out…

Having recently unveiled its final report, The Heritage Foundation’s National Coronavirus Recovery Commission offered a clear pathway to America’s economic rebound with specific, actionable recommendations for policymakers. Highlighting the interwoven critical linkage between good public health policy and sound economic policy, the commission’s final report underscored the importance of economic freedom to our recovery efforts:…

Reflecting the current global economic slowdown, the latest statistics show that America’s trade with Canada and Mexico, the two largest trading partners of the U.S., has plummeted by more than 40% since last year. According to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data, when compared with the previous April, U.S. trade with Canada and Mexico dropped by 43% and 46%, respectively.  Undoubtedly, the three North American trade…

India’s reported number of coronavirus cases has been surprisingly low, given the country’s huge and highly dense population. Experts think there are a number of factors that could be contributing to the low infection rates, but as a Heritage Foundation colleague summed up concisely: “Unfortunately, we don’t have a solid answer.” When it comes to…

Economic freedom has been growing rapidly in Bulgaria, one of Eastern Europe’s least heralded reformers. The country’s score in the latest edition of The Heritage Foundation’s annual Index of Economic Freedom is 70.2 (on a 0-100 scale), making its economy the 36th freest out of 180 countries measured. Bulgaria’s score has climbed a total of…

Until the global economy was hobbled by the coronavirus pandemic, oil production was booming in Azerbaijan. The country’s vast hydrocarbon and other natural resources—the backbone of its economy—were enabling it to serve as a significant alternative to Russia for oil and gas. That in turn has helped Europe’s energy security and, by association, the security…

A new study by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, “Gender and Trade,” considers the impact of trade on women and notes that effective trade policy “works in tandem with domestic policy to support women’s economic empowerment.” More specifically, the report highlights the importance of market structure and institutional quality in shaping the…

Argentina’s economic freedom score increased slightly this year. But as the 149th-freest out of 180 countries graded in the 2020 edition of The Heritage Foundation’s annual Index of Economic Freedom, Argentina remains in the bottom rankings of mostly unfree and repressed economies. The policies of the current leftist government in Buenos Aires threaten to sink…

The steps we take to reopen America safely will determine whether the United States has to contend with an economic depression—regardless of whether COVID-19 is suppressed in the next several months or the next year. How we build on those steps will not just be critical in restarting the American economy, but also could help…