Freedom Barometer by Rainer Heufers

8/9/2019 Freedom Barometer by Rainer Heufers

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CH VN PH ML TH IND SGP SKR TA Jap

The Freedom Barometer Asia 2009



The Freedom Barometer

Political Freedom NKR LA MYR BRU CAM CH VN PH ML TH IND SIN SKR TA JAP

1. Free and fair elections 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 6.00 5.00 6.00 10.00 5.00 9.00 8.00 10.00

2. Absence of undemocratic veto players 0.00 3.00 0.00 2.00 5.00 3.00 1.00 6.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 9.00 8.00 10.00

3. Press freedom 0.00 3.00 0.00 4.00 6.00 3.00 1.00 6.00 6.00 6.00 8.00 5.00 9.00 9.00 10.00

Rule of law

1. Independence of the courts 0.00 1.00 0.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 5.00 5.00 3.00 5.00 7.00 4.00 8.00 9.00 10.00

2. Corruption 0.00 2.00 1.30 4.00 1.30 3.60 2.70 2.30 5.10 3.50 2.60 9.20 5.60 5.70 7.30

3. Human rights 0.00 3.00 0.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 6.00 5.00 5.00 7.00 3.00 9.00 9.00 9.00

Sources: Freedom House, Bertelsmann, Transformation Index, Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders, Transperency International

Economic Freedom

1. Security of property rights 0.00 0.00 2.60 0.00 0.00 5.16 5.34 4.47 7.05 5.71 4.15 8.19 6.66 6.32 7.662. Size of Government: Expenditures, Taxes and Enterprises 0.00 0.00 5.77 0.00 0.00 5.00 6.87 7.12 5.50 7.15 6.36 7.96 6.61 7.21 6.23

3. Regulation of credit, labor and business 0.00 0.00 6.22 0.00 0.00 4.95 6.87 5.80 7.34 6.81 6.07 8.22 6.63 7.02 7.17

4. Freedom to trade internationally 0.00 0.00 1.93 0.00 0.00 7.47 6.95 7.17 7.55 7.66 7.29 9.39 7.15 7.91 5.87

Sources: Economic Freedom of the World by Fraser Institute, Index of Economic Freedom by Heritage Foundation

Values: 10 best, 0 worst

Total freedom value (political and economic): 100 best, 0 worst

Total 0.00 12.00 17.82 18.00 22.30 42.18 42.73 55.86 56.54 57.83 63.47 64.96 76.65 77.16 83.23

BRU Brunei JAP Japan SIN Singapore

MYR Myanmar LA Laos SKR South Korea

CAM Cambodia ML Malaysia TA Taiwan

CH China NKR North Korea TH Thailand

IND Indonesia PH Philippines VN Vietnam



Contents

1. Why do we need a freedom barometer?

2. How do we measure freedom?

3. What sources do we use?



1 Why do we need a freedom barometer?

Existing indizes on freedom often focus on onlyone aspect of freedom, e.g. elections,

corruption, human rights, property rights.

However, individual freedom is constituted by

political and economic factors and the rule of law.



1 Why do we need a freedom barometer?

The index is meant to inspire comparison and

eventually also competition for freedomamong nations.

Freedom leads to prosperity!



2 How do we measure freedom?

Political freedom

(democracy)

1. Free and fair elections

2. Absence of undemocraticveto players (e.g. military)

3. Press freedom

Rule of law1. Independence of the courtsand checks and balances

2. Corruption

3. Human rights protection

Economic freedom

1. Security of property rights

2. Size of Government:

Expenditures, Taxes andEnterprises

3. Regulation of credit, labour

and business4. Freedom to trade

internationally



3 What sources do we use?

Political freedom and

rule of law

- Freedom House (2009)- Reporters Without

Borders (2008)

- TransparencyInternational (2008)

Economic freedom

- Economic Freedom of the World by FraserInstitute (values arefrom 2006)



3 What sources do we use?

Conversion of the indizes used:

Economic freedom by Fraser Institute: 1-10 (10 best). No conversion necessary.Freedom House: Free, partly free, not free. Conversion: Free is 7-10, partly free is 4-6,

not free is 0-3.

Transparency International Corruption Perception Index: 1-10 (10 best). No

conversion necessary.

Reporters Without Borders: 100-1 (1 best). Conversion: 100-60 is 0-3, 59-40 is 4-6, 39-

0 is 7-10.



4 Indonesia

“Members of unrecognized religions have difficulty obtaining

national identity cards. Atheism is not accepted. Independence

activists in Papua and in the Moluccas, and labor and political

activists in Java and Sulawesi, remain targets for human rights

abuses. Discrimination against women persists, particularly in

the workplace.” The death penalty is practiced.

Human rights

The Constitution provides for checks and balances. The

Constitutional Court is independent. Without parliament´s

consent laws cannot be passed.

Independence of the courts and checks and balances

TI ranking is 3,6. „The KPK has been criticized for failing to

convict prosecutors and police. Nevertheless, a string of high-

profile cases and convictions in 2008 improved the

commission’s image.”

Corruption

RWB ranking is 27. „The country has a large independent

media presence. The foreign press has been banned from the

restive province of Papua since 2003. Libel laws influence how journalists frame their stories.“

Press freedom

The military still largely enjoys impunity and wields political

power.

Absence of undemocratic veto players

Freedom House ranking is „free“. Indonesia is an electoral

democracy. Elections in 2009 for the national parliament and

the president were free and fair.

Free and fair elections



Thank you!

Terima kasih!

Please visit our website:

www.fnsindonesia.org

Freedom Barometer by Rainer Heufers

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Transcript of Freedom Barometer by Rainer Heufers