Bridwell Institute for Economic Freedom

10/22/2026

"Economic freedom isn’t a silver bullet that can fix every problem, and the research on economic freedom and health is more complicated than some of the other research I’ve covered so far. But the broad pattern is suggestive. People in freer societies live longer. Babies born in freer countries are more likely to survive their first year. These are amazing benefits associated with this particular constellation of institutional features." - Meg Tuszynski

Read more from today's Substack post on economic freedom and health here:

What the research tells us about economic freedom, life expectancy, obesity, and the choices we make about our health

10/20/2026

Thank you to Mike Bird, Wall Street Editor at The Economist and inaugural recipient of the Bridwell Institute Book Award, for joining us at SMU today to discuss his award-winning book, "The Land Trap: A New History of the World’s Oldest Asset".

The annual award carries a $15,000 prize and honors the legacy of our economists and authors W. Michael Cox and Richard Alm, who helped make important economic ideas accessible to broad audiences.

Moderated by our Matt Myers, the discussion explored how land ownership, housing policy, and property markets have shaped economic opportunity and prosperity throughout history—and why these institutions remain central to economic growth and living standards.

10/20/2026

Meg Tuszynski's newest Substack post explores the relationship between economic freedom and entrepreneurship. The research suggests that if countries, states, and cities want to foster entrepreneurship, they should focus less on targeted economic development incentives and more on policies that expand economic freedom for everyone.

Not only does she include evidence-backed research, but also anecdotal support from her hometown of Paris, IL.

Read more here:

Why attracting big business isn’t the same as creating an economy where entrepreneurs thrive

10/16/2026

We’ve never been richer, and we’re told we’ve never been lonelier. Critics on both the left and right blame markets. According to Meg Tuszynski's latest Substack post, the little evidence we have points the other way: freer economies seem to have less loneliness, not more.

The literature here isn’t huge. An enterprising grad student could make a solid research program out of studying this link further. Consider this your invitation.

Read more here:

We’ve never been richer, but we’re worried about being more isolated. Is economic freedom really to blame?

10/14/2026

📰 New Op-Ed

Should politicians have to reach a broader consensus to raise our taxes?

The Bridwell Institute’s Dean Stansel and John Hendrickson (Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation) discuss how supermajority requirements for tax increases can help restrain the growth of government. Currently 16 states have such a rule. Texas does not, but three of our neighboring states do: Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.

Taxes take money from private individuals who generally know best how to spend it and put that money in the hands of politicians, who are less equipped to spend it

10/13/2026

Economic freedom and tolerance might not seem like natural bedfellows, but in today's Substack post Meg Tuszynski explores the ways in which economically free societies are also more tolerant on a variety of different margins.

"Markets don’t require people to be virtuous to push them toward treating strangers decently; they reward it. The baker doesn’t need to love you to sell you bread, and over time, the habit of dealing fairly with people who are different from you seems to change how you see them."

Read more here:

The Economics of Getting Along

10/08/2026

You know the story: capitalism begets economic growth, growth means burning natural resources, and burning natural resources destroys the environment.

As Meg Tuszynski explores in today's Substack post, it turns out that story isn’t real. Economic freedom and the environment not only coexist peacefully, but places with more economic freedom also tend to have cleaner natural environments.

It’s not a tradeoff. It’s a win-win situation.

The answer is friends. Definitely friends.

10/06/2026

The 2026 Economic Freedom of the World Annual Report was released today. Meg Tuszynski's newest Substack post provides a high-level overview on what’s new in this edition. Check out out, then head over to FreeTheWorld.com to see where your favorite countries rank. You can also find the full report there.

https://efexplained.substack.com/p/the-world-just-got-a-little-freer

Highlights from the Newest Economic Freedom of the World Index, Out Today

10/01/2026

"This isn’t just a lesson in vocabulary (though I do hope you walk away understanding that Sweden isn’t socialist). Labels shape policy, and if people think Nordic success is due to socialism, they’ll push for policies that chip away at the foundations of a prosperous society. My post has focused primarily on Sweden, but the same can be said for all of the Nordic countries. Economic freedom made these places rich, and once they were rich, they could afford to layer on a large and generous welfare state, paid for by a large and ungenerous tax system."

Read more from Meg Tuszynski's new Substack post here:

And the Nordic Countries Aren’t Socialist

09/30/2026

The Bridwell Institute’s Dean Stansel appeared on the Talk Story with Keli'i Akina show on ThinkTech Hawaii to discuss what economic freedom means and why it matters to Hawaii. Hawaii ranked 48th on the latest Economic Freedom of North America report.

Economic Freedom: What it Means and why it Matters to Hawaii; Why H...