Newsgroups: alt.drugs,talk.politics.drugs,talk.politics.misc From: noah@pixar.com (Little Red Rooster) Subject: HUMAN-FREEDOM INDEX {Was: Wise Words} {LONG} Message-ID: <1994Oct31.210832.334@pixar.com> Date: Mon, 31 Oct 1994 21:08:32 GMT "The United States ranks 13th on the Human Freedom Index. Twelve other countries are freer than the United States." -United Nations This quote generated alot of questions, the main one being "What are the other twelve countries?" I contacted the United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Report Office at, (212)983-1531, and asked Selim Jahan that question. He sent me this fax: ________________________________________________________________________ The human freedom index The goal of human development is to increase people's choices. But for most people to exercise their choices, they must enjoy freedom - cultural, social, economic and political. The _World Human Rights Guide_, by Charles Humana, uses 40 indicators to measure freedom: _The right to_ * travel in own country * travel abroad * peacefully associate and assemble * teach ideas and recieve information * monitor human rights violations * ethnic language _The freedom from_ * forced or child labour * compulsory work permits * extra-judicial killings or "disappearances" * torture or coercion * capital punishment * corporal punishment * unlawful detention * compulsory party or organization membership * compulsory religion or state ideology in schools (see: D.A.R.E. -Noah) * arts control * political censorship of press * censorship of mail or telephone-tapping _The freedom for_ * peaceful political opposition * multiparty elections by secret and universal ballot * political and legal equality for women * social and economic equality for ethnic minorities * independent newspapers * independent book publishing * independent radio and television networks * independent courts * independent trade unions _The right to_ * a nationality * being considered innocent until proved guilty * free legal aid when necessary and counsel of own choice * open trial * prompt trial * freedom from police searches of home without a warrant * freedom from arbitrary seizure of personal property _The personal right to_ * interracial, interreligious or civil marriage * equality of sexes during marriage and for devorce proccedings * homosexuality between consenting adults * practice any religion * determine the number of one's children Drawing on the 1985 data in the _World Human Rights Guide_ and assigning a "one" to each freedom protected and a "zero" to each freedom violated, the country ranking in table 1.5 emerges. Clearly, this ranking for the human freedom index (HFI) needs updating. Adding recent infromation for only one of the 40 aspects of fredom - multiparty elections by secret and universal ballot - makes for many changes. Eighteen countries see their HFI improve. The world today is a freer world. An updated human freedom index based on a limited number of observable and objectively measurable key indicators is more than overdue. ________________________________________________________________________ TABLE 1.5 HFI ranking of selected countries Country total ^ Recent move of freedoms, towards greater freedom 1985 (multiparty elections held) ________________________________________________________________________ High freedom ranking (31-40) / Low freedom ranking (0-10) 38 Sweden /10 Poland (^) 38 Denmark /10 Paraguay (^) 37 Netherlands /10 Philippines (^) 36 Finland /10 Tanzania, U. Rep. of 36 New Zealand / 9 Malaysia 36 Austria / 9 Zambia 35 Norway / 9 Haiti (^) 35 France / 8 Yugoslavia 35 Germany, led. Rep. of / 8 Chile (^) 35 Belgium / 8 Kuwait 34 Canada / 8 Algeria (^) 34 Switzerland / 8 Zimbabwe 33 USA / 8 Kenya 33 Australia / 8 Cameroon 32 Japan / 7 Hungary (^) 32 United Kingdom / 7 Turkey 31 Greece / 7 Morocco 31 Costa Rica / 7 Liberia / 7 Bangladesh (^) Medium freedom ranking (11-30) / 6 German Dem. Rep. (^) 30 Portugal / 6 Czechoslovakia (^) 30 Papua New Guinea / 6 Saudi Arabia 29 Italy / 5 Mozambique 29 Venezuela / 5 Cuba 27 Ireland / 5 Syrian Arab Rep. 26 Spain / 5 Korea, Dem. Rep. of 26 Hong Kong / 5 Indonesia 26 Botswana / 5 Viet Nam 25 Trinidad and Tobago / 5 Pakistan (^) 25 Argentina (^) / 5 Zaire 25 Jamaica / 4 Bulgaria (^) 24 Ecuador / 3 USSR (^) 23 Senegal / 3 South Africa (I'll put a "^" because 21 Panama (^) of their recent move 21 Dominican Rep. toward democracy -NK) 19 Israel / 2 China 18 Brazil (^) / 2 Ethiopia 18 Bolivia / 1 Romania (^) 16 Peru / 1 Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 15 Mexico / 0 Iraq ("DOH!" -Homer Simpson) 14 Korea, Rep. of 14 Colombia (I'll add a "^" because of their effort to decriminalize drugs -Noah) 14 Thalland 14 India 14 Sierra Leone 13 Nigeria 13 Benin (^) 11 Singapore (He, he, oh, sorry -Noah) 11 Sri Lanka 11 Tunisia 11 Egypt 11 Ghana Note: Ranking of countries with the same degree of freedom is done in accordance with HDI ranking. _______________________________________________________________________ Well, there you have it. Save this for future reference. Printed without permission, hope I don't get in trouble. So long, Noah