The first excursion into U.S. economic freedom was made by John D. Byars, Robert E. McCormick, and T. Bruce Yandle, all of Clemson University, in Economic Freedom in America’s 50 States: A 1999 Analysis, published by the State Policy Network.
The present study, U.S. Economic Freedom Index: 2004 Report, is an effort to update, refine, and improve on this seminal work. It is hoped that by measuring economic freedom and studying its effects, people will gain a fuller appreciation of the important imprint it makes on the economic and political fabric of America and encourage new legislation in the states that advances economic liberty.
Read the study online at the Pacific Research Institute.