Do unfree countries grow faster?

Right now they do, check out this chart.  But fear not for the consilience of liberty and utilityKevin Hassett is citing Arrow when he should be invoking Robert Solow.  The poorer countries are playing "catch-up" by adopting Western technologies and business practices.  In the classic Solow model catch-up will give them a higher rate of economic growth but of course they still have a lower level of per capita income.  And why are those same poorer countries playing catch-up more today than they did thirty years ago?

Because they are freer.

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