Different nations have differing economic set-ups and structures. Since two nations cannot be identical, so is their ranking by economic freedom. Various individuals at different times in the history have tried to come up with what economic freedom entails. Going through various historical books, periodicals, and the Internet could prove vital information in establishing a concrete definition of economic freedom. In this article, a clear elucidation of economic freedom as expounded in Heritage Foundation and Wall Street Journal is given. A critique of the definition is provided. In addition to that, an entirely different definition of economic freedom from a religious perspective is provided. A case study of Syria is done evaluating the degree of liberty in its economy. Finally, the conformity of the definition of the Catholic Social Teaching framework will be microscopically focused.
According to The Heritage Foundation, different countries can be ranked systematically according to their Economic Freedom indices. They state that economic freedom entails every individual having the right of control over his or her property and labor. That is imperative that, when one lives in an economically free society, they enjoy the freedom of working, producing, consuming and investing in a way they wish. The government places little or no restriction on movement of capital, services, labor, and goods. Furthermore, one’s investments should be in such a way that satisfies his/her ambitions with no governmental restriction on levels of liberty.
According to Heritage Foundation et. al., a nation’s economic freedom is only defined by ten statistical dimensions. Data is collected from global institutions like Economist Intelligent, International Monetary Fund and World Bank on equal averages and combined in a formula to come up with each country’s economic freedom index. The area utilized are; trade freedom, Freedom from corruption, business freedom, Government size, Fiscal Freedom, Financial Freedom, Property rights, Investment Freedom, Labor freedom, monetary freedom.
The definition given differs from that found in The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church states. The religious understanding of economic freedom is however founded on a different scale. There are factors beyond economic levels. According to Compendium of the Social Doctrine, the wholesome prosperity of the people cannot be based on Monetary and temporal dimensions. And also, economic freedom has more extended benefits besides reduced poverty levels, small corruption cases and far beyond higher earnings.
Firstly, the problem with The Heritage Foundation et. al., explanation of financial freedom is that there is no clear explanation of the elements to be included and the weight of each item. Statistically, using just ten elements seems tantamount to undermining of the world’s economy. More serious issues should be addressed, and the relationship is based on how people are restricted to pursue their economic activities. How their money is taken away illegibly and how the restrictions affect their other aspects of life. Their definition is predominantly based on the financial issue. That cannot be right in the knowledge that, economic growth is more complicated than governmental policies and financial orientations. The main pillars of and virtues of a society are encompassed in religious settings and social gatherings such as subsidiarity, human dignity, and solidarity are ignored.
Nevertheless, the position occupied by the factors they utilize in determining national growth cannot be undermined. a great deal of work has been done in gathering data and ranking countries. It takes great research and as such it help shed light on economic freedom levels in different nations.
The Syrian economy was for long grounded on two pillars of agriculture and petroleum mining. Nearly a quarter of Syrians were employed in farming, and approximately 25% of Syrian income was derived from agriculture sector and almost equal percentage from oil industries. It is from the commercial setting that conflicts once again disrupted mutual co-existence between residents. The economic situation in Syria and the humanitarian situation is entirely unsatisfactory and incomparable to any other.
In August 2013, Syria used chemical weapons to attack civilians. That resulted in the world taking action. However, since Russia intervened, no action has been taken against them. The Syrian government promised to retreat though the harmony and peace promised did not last for long.
In 2014, Syria's furnished clashes developed progressively ridiculously with government and pro-government state armies strengthening their assaults on non-military personnel zones and proceeding with the utilization of dangerous weapons. The administrations steps include the advancement to discretionary capture, and tormenting of prisoners, of which a large number succumb to death in detainment. Non-state militia groups acting against the administration also employ barbaric tactics including conscious and unpredictable assaults on regular civilians, utilization of under-age soldiers, and torment of detainees.
Since there have been no comprehensive efforts set up by external or internal forces to regress the progress of the war, the violence has kept escalating to date. The majority of the extortion, kidnapping and rapings are conducted by ISIS or Jabhat al-Nusra – an Al-Qaeda’s affiliate subdivision. Recent statistics indicated death tolls to have increased up to 250,000 people by October 2015, and more than seven million people were internally displaced. In excess of four million refugees have taken homage in their neighboring nations.
In the territories they control, the militia groups like ISIS have perpetrated various absolute infringement of rights and massive human atrocities: They incorporate kidnappings, self-assertive confinement, torment and other mistreatments and unlawful murder of innocent people.
The wars have more often than not affected children either physically or psychologically. Human dignity has been profoundly violated, and rights are constantly abused. News headlines feature youngsters being slaughtered and massacred through waves of attacks that include bombings and reckless shootings. Some youngsters are enrolled as fighters and are set explicitly in the front line during the attacks. Even when the fighting is over and calm and peace restored landmines will be left for a considerable time as they are situated in most areas.
Sexual harassments and rape have become a common phenomenon in Syria. On the worst extremes, the violation against women and young ladies are progressively being utilized as tools to the advancement of war. Consequentially, numerous women and girls have been impregnated in the course of the struggle. Some of them have been assaulted to the extent that this may lead to future infertility.
Children and the elderly end up dying or suffer from grave sickness from the aberrant physical impacts of war. Healthcare facilities and wellbeing focuses are pulverized. Specialists and medical attendants are murdered while some have fled the country. Youngsters are most helpless against sicknesses such as bowel syndromes, jungle fever, and cholera. Treatment is straightforward and shabby, as huge number of children have died due to a lack of medical services.
War pulverizes commercial enterprises, employments and infrastructures setting of a nation. It poses a significant threat to families – and the strife is typically occurring in some of the maligned states. Guardians cannot be able to take care of their youngsters frequently and might be compelled to keep them at home to take care of kin, to work as opposed to attending classes, or the kids might even wind up in the city in the most extreme instances of destitution. The situational living conditions in Syria are unsatisfactory. Not every individual is entitled to basic needs, i.e., food, shelter and clothes.
Nearly five years down the line, Syria stays in a condition of human rights violation and in permanent humanitarian emergency. The Human rights Watch has recorded more than 9 million Syrians as evacuees and living in camps, making it the biggest current exile emergency on the planet. An enormous number of regular citizens cross over Syria, including under-aged children, have been compelled to persevere through hardships while under attack. A large portion of the attacks is by forces and countries that support the legislature of President Bashar al-Assad. This is shameful and against the religious teachings for a government to subject its citizen to such harsh attacks.
The unemployment in Syria is one among the highest in the world. At 57%, it is imperatively the reason majority of its citizens cannot afford the three fundamental needs. The inflation rates are quite high and only comparable to that of under-developed nations like Haiti. Many civilians resort to dangerous acts like smuggling, kidnappings and drug trafficking for survival. The situation of living is unbearable and not close to the standards established by social platforms or the religious teachings across the world. That undermines human dignity, violates human rights and destroys family ties.
The guidelines of economic freedom might propose other relevant policies like making of a Peace Keeping Treaty with United Nation and Economic Recovery Policy by World Bank amongst others. However, the Human Rights Protection Policy should be prioritized as the general wellbeing of the people living there is highly compromised.
As elucidated in this paper, Syria citizens face hardship, and the living conditions are reported to be deteriorating, the world should stop staring from far and act fast to ensure the case does not proceed from frying pan to the fire. In the 21st century, the level of economic freedom and the GDP of a country are two complimentary aspects and hence the state of living. Therefore, as delineated by religious guidelines and the universal laws, it should be better than things are at the moment. It conforms to no guidelines and hence something should be vast done.
Bibliography
De Haan, Jakob, and Jan-Egbert Sturm. "On the relationship between economic freedom and economic growth." European Journal of Political Economy 16, no. 2 (2000): 215-241.
Heritage.org,. 2016. "Economic Data And Statistics On World Economy And Economic Freedom". http://www.heritage.org/index/explore.
Heydemann, Steven. 2000. War, Institutions, And Social Change In The Middle East. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Ken Farr, W., Richard A. Lord, and J. Larry Wolfenbarger. "Economic freedom, political freedom, and economic well-being: A causality analysis."Cato J. 18 (1998): 247.
