Economic Freedom and Human Rights: A Survey

This chapter surveys the literature on the association between economic freedom and de facto respect of human rights. Noting that a plethora of theoretical channels might connect the two, empirical evidence is necessary to settle the question. The survey shows that 38 published papers explore the association, using different measures and methods. Thirty papers document positive effects and only two find negative effects. Overall, the empirical literature thus supports the existence of a positive association between economic freedom and respect for human rights.