The **_Freedom in the World survey of Freedom House_** provides an annual evaluation of the state of global freedom as experienced by individuals. The survey measures freedom—the opportunity to act spontaneously in a variety of fields outside the control of the government and other centers of potential domination—according to two broad categories: political rights and civil liberties. Political rights enable people to participate freely in the political process, including the right to vote freely for distinct alternatives in legitimate elections, compete for public office, join political parties and organizations, and elect representatives who have a decisive impact on public policies and are accountable to the electorate. Civil liberties allow for the freedoms of expression and belief, associational and organizational rights, rule of law, and personal autonomy without interference from the state.

**Box 2.  Components of the Freedom House’s Freedom of the World Ratings**

|The ratings process is based on a checklist of 10 political rights questions and 15 civil liberties<br>questions. Scores are awarded to each of these questions on a scale of 0 to 4, where a score of 0<br>represents the smallest degree and 4 the greatest degree of rights or liberties<br>Area 1 Political rights<br>A. Electoral Process (3 questions)<br>B. Political Pluralism and Participation (4 questions)<br>C. Functioning of Government (3 questions)<br>Area 2 Civil liberties<br>A. Freedom of Expression and Belief (4 questions)<br>B. Associational and Organizational Rights (3 questions)<br>C. Rule of Law (4 questions)<br>D. Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights (4 questions)|
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Like the EFW of the Fraser Institute, the attempt by Freedom House to survey the state of global civil and political freedom experienced by individuals has not escaped criticism. Minier (1998) and Freeman (2002) emphasize the subjectivity and bias involved in the building of the index, which is largely impervious to change in institutions and the interactions among them.<sup>21</sup> Durham (1999) criticizes the available indicators of political freedoms, because they focus on outcomes rather than institutions. Whether civil and political rights foster or hinder development in the narrow sense of an increase in per capita income may however be beyond the point, and as soon as one broadens the concept of development to incorporate the general well-being of the population at large, including some basic civil and political freedoms, any democracy which ensures these freedoms is, almost by definition, more conducive to development on these counts than a non-democratic regime (Bardham 1993).

21 According to Freedom House’s definition, political rights enable people to “participate freely in the political process, including through the right to vote, compete for public office, and elect representatives who have a decisive impact on public policies and are accountable to the electorate”. Civil liberties allow for “the freedoms of expression and belief, associational and organizational rights, rule of law, and personal autonomy without interference from the state.” The methodology of the survey established basic standards (through a checklist of 10 political rights questions and 15 civil liberties questions) that are derived in large measure from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

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