Source: Evropa
American Heritage foundation, together with the Wall street journal, recently published this year Index of economics freedom, the document, that is similar to the one that Canadian institute Fraser is publishing, represents probably the most indicative list of this sort in the world. In the index for 2008. 157 countries are ranked, marked from 0 to 100 points, based on the ten factors: liberation of the business, liberation of the trade, fiscal liberation, seize of the Government, monetary liberation, investments liberation, financial liberation, right of the property, liberation of the corruption and liberation of work.Countries are been categorized in some groups. First one consists of the countries with the total liberal of economy, with points from 80 to 100. This elite group traditionally consists of leaders Hong Kong and Singapore; there are also Ireland, Australia, USA, New Zeeland and Canada. In the second group, there are ones with mostly liberated economy, 23 countries, with points from 70 to 80, majority of the group are old members of the European Union. In the third group, as temperately illiberate, there are 51 countries, with points from 60 to 70. The fourth group consists of 52, mainly illiberate countries, whose economies are pointed from 50 to 60. Last two groups are mostly consisted from the huge part of the transitional countries of the South-Eastern Europe. The last group consists of the 44 countries, illiberate, and rigid economy, with less than 50 points.
In the index, there are five more countries that are not been ranked. In the case of the democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq and Sudan, the reason for that is clear enough. It is about the countries with the extremely difficult political circumstances, which are including the civil war conflicts, in which the system is in collapse, and practically is not working. That' s the reason why it is uncomfortable to have besides them (' till recently member of the common state association Montenegro) our country is not been ranked as well. But the reason is different. In our case the reason is the lack of the reliable information.
Among the circumstances, probably by the atmosphere caused by the elections campaign, this passed almost unnoticeably. Absence of reactions. Defending, criticizing, cynical, relativising, malintention, any reaction. Except few lapidary professional reactions, other did not exist.
It' s not good the way it is. This not being ranked, besides the fact the last time when we were ranked was 2003, represents the impulse that, as far as I know shouldn't be ignored. The impulse should direct to the thinking about many important issues. For example, about possible political consequences of our placement of the international reputation of the country; or possibly about the eventual exact economical consequences for attractiveness of our economy for the foreign inviters, (that we need very much); or about....
But the thing that is probably logical, for me, in this situation the reason is more interesting than the possible consequences.
Did the experts of the Heritage foundation, while marking the reason for the absence the lack of the reliable information, think just about the lack of completely reliable information, or they thought about the lack of information in general? Where they objective? Did they have any prejuctise?
But in order to avoid the risk of joining the dispute about econometrical, or sociometrical methodological problems, maybe it' s better to think what our public really thinks about the accessing the information relevant to the valuation of economy liberation?
The respond should be looked for in some evident facts. While it is impossible to avoid the serious problems, with which the public is facing in due to get the information about the biggest privatizations, concessions, or big state investors projects. Huge part of the public considers that constantly are missing some answers to the questions opened long ago. The information that will affirm, or even better, declare some doubts are lacking. For example, doubts that some public resources were given for free, or as revenge for the political or financial help services. That the state companies to the taycoons, their pats are sold highly below their own trade value. That the huge areas of the state agricultural land has been given to the influential people available under the extra conditions, while the common people are not able to know that that land is even hypothetically available. That the similar is happening to the public land, other words, attractive part of the land for building, and not to mention anything further…
Not been ranked in the index of the economic liberation of the Heritage Foundation, certainly is unpleasant impulse. But that' s why it is important to finally be registered on the right way, and to be useful. That represents one more, who knows what in a line, warning that we don' t have correct enough relation to the two extremely important issues for the countries in transition. It is about the adopting the standards of the present informatical society and about the adopting and using the anticorruption experiences of the others, more successful ones. Real potential of all subjects in the modern society in the biggest as possible measure, depends of their relations to the information. Of the big importance is also the capability to have, i.e. percept, accept the biggest number of the information as possible, but it's equally important the capability to give as much information as possible. And in order to give the contribution to the economic actions of the subjects, that are working on it's market, and in order to fight more efficiently against the corruption, and to move away the doubts in own economy activities, the authorities have to make available for the public much more information, than it has today. It is always bad when, for example, on some capital, public transaction the shadow of the doubt come over, no matter is it about the doubt in economic justification or doubt in the corruption. But much worse is when the adequate reaction is missing, when the doubt is not confirmed, nor demanded. The state of global doubt in everything is extremely distimulating, and on a longer term has the devastating consequences. Responsible authorities have to overtake everything that could eliminate the reasons, which are leading to that direction. An absolutely shortly one of the mane reasons is exactly the absence of the reliable information (Author is Commissioner for the information of the public importance).
