A proposed alternative metric to indices like the "Economic Freedom Index" (which equates freedom with deregulation). This index would measure the substantive freedom of the working class based on factors like: job security, union density, access to healthcare and housing, free time (leisure vs. work hours), workplace democracy, and power over community decisions. It redefines freedom from "freedom from the state" to "freedom from exploitation and insecurity."
Example: According to the Proletariat Freedom Index, a Scandinavian country with strong unions, a generous social safety net, and codetermination laws would rank highly, while a US state with "right-to-work" laws, no paid leave, and rampant gig economy precarity would rank near the bottom, despite scoring high on a traditional "economic freedom" index.
by Dumu The Void February 5, 2026
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