Hong Kong's Economy Seen As 'Most Free'

ByJohn S. McClenahen What do the seemingly disparate economies of Hong Kong, Singapore, Luxembourg, Estonia and Ireland have in common? They are the five "most free" of the 155 economies ranked in the 2005 version of the "Index of Economic Freedom," an annual publication of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington, D.C., think tank, and The Wall Street Journal. The United States is tied for twelfth place, with Switzerland. The five "least free" economies: those of North Korea, Burma (Myanmar), Libya, Zimbabwe and Turkmenistan.