tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1331441403058020963.post2056708967088418203..comments2024-03-28T06:49:24.930-04:00Comments on International Political Economy at the University of North Carolina: The U.S., Europe, and Economic FreedomThomas Oatleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092437150746625670noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1331441403058020963.post-67329882382655414132010-08-28T17:39:12.419-04:002010-08-28T17:39:12.419-04:00Heritage is upfront about their methodology (a fac...Heritage is upfront about their methodology (a factor analysis that, while I haven't replicated it completely, looks sensible enough to me) and data sources (mostly World Bank). Of course the choice of indicators is strategic... it's impossible for it not to be. But as far as those things go, Heritage is pretty transparent about what they're doing and why. <br /><br />Do you have any reason to think the rankings are biased, or just insinuation? And if they're biased, do you have any reason to think they are biased in any particular direction? Why would Heritage push a "America sucks/Europe is awesome" line if they want to move away from European-style governance? It makes no sense.Kindred Winecoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14330671232391851377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1331441403058020963.post-26382064055634537132010-08-28T17:31:16.427-04:002010-08-28T17:31:16.427-04:00What ranking would be most useful for an American ...What ranking would be most useful for an American think-tank trying to push a conservative agenda on American policymakers? It seems to me that saying "Look, we're even worse than this socialist wasteland!" might be a pretty strong selling point for Heritage's favored policy.<br /><br />The fact that the U.S. is low in the rankings doesn't tell you much, except that Heritage's backers are likely to benefit from such a ranking. The choice of indicators is strategic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com