1、香港连续20年全球经济自由度指数最高World economic freedom has reached record levels, according to the 2014 Index of Economic Freedom, released Tuesday by the Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal. But after seven straight years of decline, the U.S. has dropped out of the top 10 most economically free count
2、ries.美国传统基金会和华尔街日报14日公布的“2014年全球经济自由度指数”报告显示，全球经济自由度达到历史最高水平。其中，香港连续20年名列第一，美国跌出前十，中国大陆排名第137位。For 20 years, the index has measured a nations commitment to free enterprise on a scale of 0 to 100 by evaluating 10 categories, including fiscal soundness（健康，稳固）, government size and property rights. Thes
3、e commitments have powerful effects: Countries achieving higher levels of economic freedom consistently and measurably outperform others in economic growth, long-term prosperity and social progress. Botswana, for example, has made gains through low tax rates and political stability.Those losing free
4、dom, on the other hand, risk economic stagnation, high unemployment and deteriorating social conditions. For instance, heavy-handed government intervention in Brazils economy continues to limit mobility and fuel a sense of injustice.Its not hard to see why the U.S. is losing ground. Even marginal ta
5、x rates exceeding 43% cannot finance runaway government spending, which has caused the national debt to skyrocket. The Obama administration continues to shackle entire sectors of the economy with regulation, including health care, finance and energy. The intervention impedes both personal freedom an
6、d national prosperity.But as the U.S. economy languishes, many countries are leaping ahead, thanks to policies that enhance economic freedom - the same ones that made the U.S. economy the most powerful in the world. Governments in 114 countries have taken steps in the past year to increase the econo
7、mic freedom of their citizens. Forty-three countries, from every part of the world, have now reached their highest economic freedom ranking in the indexs history.Hong Kong continues to dominate the list, followed by Singapore, Australia, Switzerland, New Zealand and Canada. These are the only countr
8、ies to earn the indexs economically free designation. Mauritius earned top honors among African countries and Chile excelled in Latin America. Despite the turmoil in the Middle East, several Gulf states, led by Bahrain, earned designation as mostly free.A realignment is under way in Europe, accordin
9、g to the indexs findings. Eighteen European nations, including Germany, Sweden, Georgia and Poland, have reached new highs in economic freedom. By contrast, five others - Greece, Italy, France, Cyprus and the United Kingdom - registered scores lower than they received when the index started two deca
10、des ago.The most improved players are in Eastern Europe, including Estonia, Lithuania and the Czech Republic. These countries have gained the most economic freedom over the past two decades. And its no surprise: Those who have lived under communism have no trouble recognizing the benefits of a free-
11、market system. But countries that have experimented with milder forms of socialism, such as Sweden, Denmark and Canada, also have made impressive moves toward greater economic freedom, with gains near 10 points or higher on the index scale. Sweden, for instance, is now ranked 20th out of 178 countri
12、es, up from 34th out of 140 countries in 1996.The U.S. and the U.K, historically champions of free enterprise, have suffered the most pronounced declines. Both countries now fall in the mostly free category. Some of the worst performers are in Latin America, particularly Venezuela, Argentina, Ecuado
13、r and Bolivia. All are governed by crony-populist regimes pushing policies that have made property rights less secure, spending unsustainable and inflation evermore threatening.Despite financial crises and recessions, the global economy has expanded by nearly 70% in 20 years, to $54 trillion in 2012
14、 from $32 trillion in 1993. Hundreds of millions of people have left grinding poverty behind as their economies have become freer. But it is an appalling, avoidable human tragedy how many of the worlds peoples remain unfree - and poor.The record of increasing economic freedom elsewhere makes it inex
15、cusable（不可原谅的） that a country like the U.S. continues to pursue policies antithetical to its own growth, while wielding its influence to encourage other countries to chart the same disastrous course. The 2014 Index of Economic Freedom documents a world-wide race to enhance economic opportunity through greater freedom - and this years index demonstrates that the U.S. needs a drastic（激烈的） change in direction.
