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67-451: In 2007, Phoenix Television , a Hong Kong -based television network, proposed to build a media centre in Beijing. The building meant to represent not only the corporation spirit of Phoenix TV but also the profound cultural tradition of China. The centre was designed by the government-owned Beijing Institute of Architectural Design , with executive chief architect Shao Weiping . The enclosing of

134-459: A domestic firm. Within the doughnut-shaped exterior "shell" are two conventionally-structured interior towers. The contours were designed using parametric 3D modelling software. The software, including Frank Gehry ’s Digital Project modeling tools, enabled him to "intricately manipulate" the parameters of the overall design and structural engineering of the Phoenix Center, to precisely control

201-468: A former residence that Robert Lehman lent to the organization. Freedom House sponsored influential radio programs including The Voice of Freedom (1942–43) and Our Secret Weapon (1942–43), a CBS radio series created to counter Axis shortwave radio propaganda broadcasts. Rex Stout, chairman of the Writers' War Board and representative of Freedom House, would rebut the most entertaining lies of

268-903: A joint venture between the Peace Corps and the United States Information Service . Since 2001, Freedom House has supported citizens involved in challenges to the existing regimes in Serbia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Egypt, Tunisia and elsewhere. The organization states, "From South Africa to Jordan, Kyrgyzstan to Indonesia, Freedom House has partnered with regional activists in bolstering civil society; worked to support women's rights; sought justice for victims of torture; defended journalists and free expression advocates; and assisted those struggling to promote human rights in challenging political environments." However, alternative classifications have produced significantly different results from those of

335-590: A private sector company in China each owned 45% of the company, and state broadcaster China Central Television owned the remaining 10%. The original News Corporation 's (and subsequently 21st Century Fox 's) shares in Phoenix Television held through Star were gradually reduced over the years. Finally, 21st Century Fox sold its shares to TPG Capital in October 2013. According to the company's 2018 annual report,

402-503: A set of questions designed to measure each country's level of Internet and digital media freedom, as well as the access and openness of other digital means of transmitting information, particularly mobile phones and text messaging services. Results are presented for three areas: The results from the three areas are combined into a total score for a country (from 0 for best to 100 for worst) and countries are rated as "Free" (0 to 30), "Partly Free" (31 to 60), or "Not Free" (61 to 100) based on

469-456: A sovereign nation. But, what is worse is that many of these grantee organizations in Ukraine are blatantly in favor of presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko ." Noam Chomsky and Edward S. Herman have criticized the organization for excessively criticizing states opposed to US interests while being unduly sympathetic to regimes supportive of US interests. Most notably, Freedom House described

536-483: A systematic bias in all the ratings. Most of the evidence consists of anecdotal evidence of relatively few cases. Whether there is a systematic or sporadic slant in Gastil's ratings is an open question". In a later report by Bollen and Pamela Paxton in 2000, they concluded that from 1972 to 1988 (a specific period they observed), there was "unambiguous evidence of judge-specific measurement errors, which are related to traits of

603-496: A variety of other sources. Expert advisers and regional specialists then vet the analysts’ conclusions. The final product represents the consensus of the analysts, advisers, and Freedom House staff. Freedom in the World uses a two-tiered system consisting of scores and statuses. Total scores across the various categories are based on a 100-point scale and correspond to statues of Free, Partly Free, and Not Free. The survey's methodology

670-510: A voice. The representative said he would continue to support NGOs who criticized his government and those of others. In August 2020, then Freedom House president Michael Abramowitz was sanctioned – together with the heads of four other U.S.-based democracy and human rights organizations and six U.S. Republican lawmakers – by the Chinese government for supporting the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement in

737-497: Is an inexplicable misrepresentation not only of what was said at that meeting, but of Freedom House's record in Uzbekistan ... Freedom House has been a consistent and harsh critic of the human rights situation in Uzbekistan, as clearly demonstrated in press releases and in our annual assessments of that country". According to one study, Freedom House's rankings "overemphasize the more formal aspects of democracy while failing to capture

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804-688: Is headquartered in Shenzhen and Hong Kong . It is also registered in Cayman Islands . The founder of Phoenix TV, Liu Changle ( 劉長樂 ), was an officer and political instructor in the People's Liberation Army in its 40th Group Army . He later became a journalist for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-controlled China National Radio after the Cultural Revolution and remains well-connected to

871-659: Is largely derived from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is reviewed periodically by an advisory committee of political scientists with expertise in methodological issues. Freedom House's methods (around 1990) and other democracy-researchers were mentioned as examples of an expert-based evaluation by sociologist Kenneth A. Bollen , who is also an applied statistician . Bollen writes that expert-based evaluations are prone to statistical bias of an unknown direction, that is, not known either to agree with U.S. policy or to disagree with U.S. policy: "Regardless of

938-617: Is said to produce half its TV output. What eventually became Phoenix Television started as a joint venture between Star TV in Hong Kong , one private company in China, and China Central Television . Phoenix Chinese Channel was launched on 31 March 1996. It replaced Star Chinese Channel in Hong Kong and mainland China . Broadcasts in Singapore started on 1 December 1996 via the Singapore Cable Vision network; in its early years,

1005-541: The 1979 Rhodesian general election as "fair", but described the 1980 Southern Rhodesian general election as "dubious", and found the 1982 Salvadoran presidential election to be "admirable". In May 2001, the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations of the United Nations heard arguments for and against Freedom House. Representatives of Cuba said that the organization is a U.S. foreign policy instrument linked to

1072-516: The 2019–20 Hong Kong protests . The leaders of the five organizations saw the sanctioning, whose details were unspecified, as a tit-for-tat measure in response to the earlier sanctioning by the U.S. of 11 Hong Kong officials. The latter step had in turn been a reaction to the enactment of the Hong Kong National Security Law at the end of June. Russia, identified by Freedom House as "Not Free", called Freedom House biased and accused

1139-750: The China Media Bulletin , a weekly analysis on press freedom in and related to the People's Republic of China. In 2006, the Financial Times reported that Freedom House had received funding by the State Department for "clandestine activities" inside Iran . According to the Financial Times , "Some academics, activists and those involved in the growing US business of spreading freedom and democracy are alarmed that such semi-covert activities risk damaging

1206-510: The Chinese government , is its largest shareholder. Freedom House describes Phoenix Television as pro-Beijing. Stephen McDonell of BBC News described the outlet as "sometimes more liberal than its mainland counterparts". The company's head offices are located in Shenzhen , Guangdong and Tai Po , Hong Kong and it also has correspondent offices in Beijing and Shanghai . The Shenzhen office

1273-749: The International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering . The association stated that the "Phoenix Centre represents a complex spatial structure originated from 3D parametric design techniques resulting in an extraordinary interaction of architectural and structural aspects”. Media buildings in Beijing Phoenix Television Phoenix Television is a majority state-owned television network that offers Mandarin and Cantonese -language channels that serve mainland China , Hong Kong , Macau , and other markets with substantial Chinese-language viewers. It

1340-661: The Solidarity movement in Poland . Freedom House assisted the post-Communist societies in the establishment of independent media, non-governmental think tanks, and the core institutions of electoral politics. The organization describes itself currently as a clear voice for democracy and freedom around the world. Freedom House states that it: has vigorously opposed dictatorships in Central America and Chile, apartheid in South Africa,

1407-595: The 1950s and 1960s, it supported the Civil Rights Movement in the United States and its leadership included several prominent civil rights activists – though it was sometimes critical of civil rights leaders for their anti-war activism , Freedom House awarded Martin Luther King Jr. and Medgar Evers its annual Freedom Award in 1963. It supported Andrei Sakharov , other Soviet dissidents, and

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1474-565: The Beijing leadership. Shuang Liu ( 刘爽 ) became COO of Phoenix TV on 17 February 2014. He continues to be the CEO of Phoenix New Media Ltd (NYSE: FENG), a new media company in China. Former director of Phoenix TV news Chung Pong testified under oath that Phoenix TV news' programing was "subject to the dictates of the leadership of the Central Communist Propaganda Department, Central Communist Overseas Propaganda Office, and

1541-566: The CCP's leadership. Liu is a standing member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference . Phoenix Television calls itself a Hong Kong media outlet but holds a non-domestic television programme services license in Hong Kong. Most of the company's customers and non-current assets come from mainland China. Bauhinia Culture , a company wholly owned by

1608-612: The CIA and "submitted proof of the politically motivated, interventionist activities the NGO (Freedom House) carried out against their Government". They also claimed a lack of criticism of U.S. human rights violations in the annual reports. Cuba also stated that these violations are well documented by other reports, such as those of Human Rights Watch . Other countries such as China and Sudan also gave criticism. The Russian representative inquired "why this organization, an NGO which defended human rights,

1675-624: The Cold War" and having "become simply another progressive, anti-conservative (and overwhelmingly government-dependent) NGO". Another article criticized Freedom House for characterizing differences in policy as anti-democratic and for using what it regarded as partisan rather than objective measures of democracy. From the 1970s until 1990, Raymond Gastil practically produced the reports on his own, though sometimes with help from his wife. Gastil himself described it in 1990 as "a loose, intuitive rating system for levels of freedom or democracy, as defined by

1742-644: The FCC ordered XEWW-AM , owned by Phoenix Television, to cease broadcasting. The Taiwanese government designated Phoenix as a Chinese government-funded company in April 2022, and required the company to end operations in Taiwan. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine , a Phoenix TV reporter was one of the only foreign journalists to embed with the Russian military. At launch, Star TV and

1809-727: The FH for Latin American countries. Freedom House is a nonprofit organization with approximately 300 staff members worldwide. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., it has field offices in about a dozen countries, including Ukraine , Hungary , Serbia , Jordan , Mexico , and also countries in Central Asia . Freedom House states that its board of trustees is composed of "business and labor leaders, former senior government officials, scholars, writers, and journalists". All board members are current residents of

1876-556: The Knight Foundation in 2006, found that FOP was the best in its class of Press Freedom Indicators. The Freedom on the Net reports provide analytical reports and numerical ratings regarding the state of Internet freedom for countries worldwide. The countries surveyed represent a sample with a broad range of geographical diversity and levels of economic development, as well as varying levels of political and media freedom. The surveys ask

1943-536: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs." Freedom House Freedom House is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. It is best known for political advocacy surrounding issues of democracy , political freedom , and human rights . Freedom House was founded in October 1941, with Wendell Willkie and Eleanor Roosevelt serving as its first honorary chairpersons. Most of the organization's funding comes from

2010-731: The Phoenix Chinese Channel also carried Mandarin-dubbed American series during primetime hours, such as The X-Files and Baywatch . The Phoenix CNE channel broadcasts in Europe, while the Phoenix North America Chinese Channel goes out in the Americas. In 2005, a California -based broadcast and engineering director for the channel, Tai Wang Mak, was arrested for conspiring with his brother, Chi Mak , to act as an intelligence agent for China. A 10-year prison sentence

2077-748: The Polity IV scale scored the United Arab Emirates at -8, Russia at +4, and the United States at +8. In May 2024, Russian authorities declared Freedom House an “ undesirable organization ”. Craig Murray , the British ambassador to Uzbekistan from 2002 to 2004, wrote that the executive director of Freedom House told him in 2003 that the group decided to back off from its efforts to spotlight human rights abuses in Uzbekistan, because some Republican board members (in Murray's words) "expressed concern that Freedom House

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2144-582: The Press index was an annual survey of media independence , published between 1980 and 2017. It assessed the degree of print, broadcast, and internet freedom throughout the world. It provided numerical rankings and rated each country's media as "Free", "Partly Free", or "Not Free". Individual country narratives examined the legal environment for the media, political pressures that influenced reporting, and economic factors that affected access to information. An independent review of press freedom studies, commissioned by

2211-426: The U.S. State Department and other government grants. It also receives funds from various semi-public and private foundations, as well as individual contributions. The organization's annual Freedom in the World report assesses each country's degree of political freedoms and civil liberties. Another key annual report, Freedom on the Net , is Freedom House's annual survey and analysis of internet freedom around

2278-507: The U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), granted millions of dollars to the Poland-America-Ukraine Cooperation Initiative (PAUCI), which is administered by the U.S.-based Freedom House. PAUCI then sent U.S. Government funds to numerous Ukrainian non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This would be bad enough and would in itself constitute meddling in the internal affairs of

2345-487: The U.S., "the same two parties speak in a commercially sponsored unison". A 2014 report by comparative politics researcher Nils D. Steiner found "strong and consistent evidence of a substantial bias in the FH ratings" before 1988, with bias being reflected by the relationships between the U.S. and the countries under investigation. He writes that after 1989 the findings were not as strong but still hinted at political bias. In 2017, Sarah Sunn Bush wrote that many critics found

2412-647: The United States. Past members of the organization's board of directors include Kenneth Adelman , Farooq Kathwari , Azar Nafisi , Mark Palmer , P. J. O'Rourke and Lawrence Lessig , Zbigniew Brzezinski , Jeane Kirkpatrick , Samuel Huntington , Mara Liasson , Otto Reich , Donald Rumsfeld , Whitney North Seymour , Paul Wolfowitz , Steve Forbes and Bayard Rustin . According to their 2022 financial statement and independent auditors' report, Freedom House reported $ 93,705,255 of total revenue: Freedom House's total expenses in 2022 were $ 85,530,680. [1] Since 1973, Freedom House publishes an annual report, Freedom in

2479-550: The Uzbek government ordered Freedom House to suspend operations in Uzbekistan. Resource and Information Centers managed by Freedom House in Tashkent , Namangan , and Samarkand offered access to materials and books on human rights, as well as technical equipment, such as computers, copiers and Internet access. The government warned that criminal proceedings could be brought against Uzbek staff members and visitors following recent amendments to

2546-402: The World , which it seeks to assess the current state of civil liberties and political rights in 195 countries and 15 territories. The Freedom in the World report is composed of numerical ratings based on external analysts and using a combination of on-the-ground research, consultations with local contacts, and information from news articles, nongovernmental organizations, governments, and

2613-426: The airflow around the building and to convert the facade’s steel diagrid into a network of miniature canals to transport raindrops into an array of reflective pools surrounding the building. The structure features a parametrically designed atrium . The building covers a land area of 18,000 m, with a construction floor area of 72,478 m. The two independent office towers under the shell generate shared public space. In

2680-568: The company is owned by the following entities: In April 2021, Liu sold most of his shares to state-owned publisher Bauhinia Culture and Shun Tak Holdings . Liu Changle ( 劉長樂 ), CEO and founder of Phoenix TV, was a journalist for the Chinese Communist Party-controlled China National Radio after the Cultural Revolution and had become one of China's richest men by the 1990s, being well-connected to

2747-534: The concrete application of the principles of freedom. Freedom House had physical form in a New York City building that represented the organization's goals. A converted residence at 32 East 51st Street opened January 22, 1942, as a centre "where all who love liberty may meet, plan their programs and encourage one another". Furnished as a gift of the Allies , the 19-room building included a broadcasting facility. In January 1944, Freedom House moved to 5 West 54th Street ,

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2814-802: The countries." They estimated that Gastil's method produced a bias of 0.38  standard deviations (s.d.) against Communist countries and a larger bias, 0.5 s.d., favoring Christian countries. In 2001, a study by Mainwaring, Brink, and Perez-Linanhe found the Freedom Index of Freedom in the World to have a strong positive correlation (at least 80%) with three other democracy indices. Mainwaring et al. wrote that Freedom House's index had "two systematic biases: scores for leftist were tainted by political considerations, and changes in scores are sometimes driven by changes in their criteria rather than changes in real conditions". Nonetheless, when evaluated on Latin American countries yearly, Freedom House's index

2881-574: The criminal code and Code on Administrative Liability of Uzbekistan. Other human rights groups have been similarly threatened and obliged to suspend operations. Freedom House is a member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange , a global network of more than 80 non-governmental organizations that monitors free expression violations around the world and defends journalists, writers and others who are persecuted for exercising their right to freedom of expression. Freedom House also publishes

2948-427: The direction of distortions, it is highly likely that every set of indicators formed by a single author or organization contains systematic measurement error. The origin of this measure lies in the common methodology of forming measures. Selectivity of information and various traits of the judges fuse into a distinct form of bias that is likely to characterize all indicators from a common publication." The Freedom of

3015-469: The east and west parts of the shared spaces, there are continuous steps, landscape platforms, and sky ramps. A dedicated visitors’ pathway winds past the building’s broadcasting studios and explorers may interact with reporters during the tour. The centre accommodates television production studios, offices and businesses. In 2017, the building won the Outstanding Structure Award , presented by

3082-493: The final form involved 3,800 glass panels. Unlike the nearby CMG Headquarters , the building is open to the public. According to Architect Shao Weiping, the design of the building resembles DNA-like double helix that has been wrapped into a loop. He adds that the circular contours of the Phoenix complex echo the yin-yang symbol of ancient Chinese philosophy. The Phoenix Centre is notable for being an experimental building designed by

3149-419: The group of serving U.S. interests. Sergei Markov , an MP from the ruling United Russia party, called Freedom House a "Russophobic" organization, commenting: "You can listen to everything they say, except when it comes to Russia ... There are many Russophobes there." Christopher Walker, director of studies at Freedom House, posited that Freedom House made its evaluations based on objective criteria explained on

3216-405: The informal but real power relations and pathways of influence ... and frequently lead to de facto deviations from democracy." States can therefore "look formally liberal-democratic but might be rather illiberal in their actual workings" In the 2010s, a number of American conservative institutions have criticized Freedom House for what they see as an anti-conservative shift in the organization;

3283-469: The organization has been criticized as being biased against conservative governments and the policies they enact, and has also been accused of favoring progressive and left-wing ideas in its ranking system. It has also been criticized for a perceived shift to an activist mindset; a 2018 article in the National Review described it as having "changed dramatically since its anti-Communist days during

3350-403: The organization's website, and denied that it had a pro-U.S. agenda, saying: "If you look closely at the 193 countries that we evaluate, you'll find that we criticize what are often considered strategic allies of the United States." UCLA political scientist Daniel Treisman has criticized Freedom House's assessment of Russia. Treisman cited that Freedom House ranks Russia's political rights on

3417-553: The original pre-1990 methodology lacking. While this improved after a team was hired in 1990, she says some criticism remains. As for why the Freedom House index is most often quoted in the United States, she notes that its definition of democracy is closely aligned with US foreign policy. US-allied countries tend to get better scores than in other reports. However, because the report is important to US lawmakers and politicians, weaker states seeking US aid or favor are forced to respond to

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3484-401: The public and transparent work of other organisations, and will backfire inside Iran." On December 7, 2004, former U.S. House Representative and Libertarian politician Ron Paul criticized Freedom House for allegedly administering a U.S.-funded program in Ukraine where "much of that money was targeted to assist one particular candidate." Paul said "one part that we do know thus far is that

3551-489: The rankings were criticized by National Review , a conservative newspaper, for its perceptions of the NGO being "anti-conservative". Freedom House was incorporated October 31, 1941. Among its founders were Eleanor Roosevelt , Wendell Willkie , Mayor Fiorello La Guardia , Elizabeth Cutter Morrow , Dorothy Thompson , George Field, Herbert Agar , Herbert Bayard Swope , Ralph Bunche , Father George B. Ford, Roscoe Drummond and Rex Stout . George Field (1904–2006)

3618-525: The same level as the United Arab Emirates , which is a federation of absolute monarchies with no element of democracy within the system. Freedom House also ranks Russia's civil liberties on the same scale as those of Yemen , where criticism of the president was illegal. Treisman contrasts Freedom House's ranking with the Polity IV scale used by academics, in which Russia has a much better score. In 2018,

3685-560: The struggle against the other twentieth century totalitarian threat, Communism ... The organization's leadership was convinced that the spread of democracy would be the best weapon against totalitarian ideologies." Freedom House supported the Marshall Plan and the establishment of NATO . Freedom House also supported the Johnson Administration's Vietnam War policies. Freedom House was highly critical of McCarthyism . During

3752-706: The suppression of the Prague Spring, the Soviet war in Afghanistan, genocide in Bosnia and Rwanda, and the brutal violation of human rights in Cuba, Burma, the People's Republic of China, and Iraq. It has championed the rights of democratic activists, religious believers, trade unionists, journalists, and proponents of free markets. In 1967, Freedom House absorbed Books USA, which had been created several years earlier by Edward R. Murrow , as

3819-436: The totals. Freedom House has produced more than 85 special reports since 2002, including: In addition to these reports, Freedom House participates in advocacy initiatives, and global democracy and human rights programming. In its international offices, it promotes and assists local human rights workers and non-government organizations. On January 12, 2006, as part of a crackdown on unauthorized nongovernmental organizations,

3886-506: The traditional political rights and civil liberties of the Western democracies." Regarding criticisms of his reports, he said: "generally such criticism is based on opinions about Freedom House rather than detailed examination of survey ratings". In a 1986 report on the methodology used by Gastil and others to create Freedom in the World report, Kenneth A. Bollen noted some bias but found that "no criticisms of which I am aware have demonstrated

3953-493: The week. The series was produced by Paul White , founder of CBS News . By November 1944, Freedom House was planning to raise money to acquire a building to be named after the recently deceased Wendell L. Willkie. In 1945 an elegant building at 20 West 40th Street was purchased to house the organization. It was named the Willkie Memorial Building. After the war, as its website states, "Freedom House took up

4020-422: The world. While often cited by political scientists, journalists, and policymakers, the organization's democracy indices have received criticism. Between the 1970s and 2000s, critics predominately alleged that the organization was biased towards American interests due to government funding; others criticized the organization's reliance on democratic indices created near-exclusively by Raymond Gastil . In 2018,

4087-630: Was against the creation of the International Criminal Court ?" The U.S. representative stated that alleged links between Freedom House and the CIA were "simply not true". The representative said he agreed that the NGO receives funds from the United States Government, but said this is disclosed in its reports. The representative said the funds were from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which

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4154-546: Was announced in 2008. On 28 March 2011, Phoenix Television launched Phoenix Hong Kong Channel, broadcasting exclusively in Cantonese . On 31 March 2011, Phoenix InfoNews Channel was announced as a Peabody Award winner for its "Report on a New Generation of Migrant Workers in China." In 2011, Phoenix New Media formed a partnership with the BBC to offer the British broadcaster's programming on Phoenix's digital media platforms. This

4221-485: Was executive director of the organization until his retirement in 1967. According to its website, Freedom House was founded in 1941. Several groups were aggressively supporting U.S. entry into World War II and in early autumn 1941, when various group activities began to overlap, the Fight for Freedom Committee began exploring a mass merger. George Field then conceived the idea of all of the groups maintaining their separate identities under one roof—Freedom House—to promote

4288-447: Was failing to keep in sight the need to promote freedom in the widest sense, by giving full support to U.S. and coalition forces". Human rights abuses in Uzbekistan at the time included the killing of prisoners by "immersion in boiling liquid", and by strapping on a gas mask and blocking the filters, Murray reported. Jennifer Windsor, the executive director of Freedom House in 2003, replied that Murray's "characterization of our conversation

4355-480: Was followed by a similar partnership with the National Film Board of Canada in 2012, under which 130 NFB animated shorts and documentary films would be offered digitally in China. In October 2013, the 12.15% of shares in Phoenix Television held by 21st Century Fox (through Star) were sold to TPG Capital for HK$ 1.66 billion (US$ 213 million). In February 2016, Phoenix Television broadcast forced confessions of kidnapped Hong Kong booksellers . In June 2020,

4422-466: Was not a branch of the CIA. The representative said his country had a law prohibiting the government from engaging in the activities of organizations seeking to change public policy, such as Freedom House. The representative said his country was not immune from criticism from Freedom House, which he said was well documented. The U.S. representative further argued that Freedom House was a human rights organization which sought to represent those who did not have

4489-457: Was positively correlated with the index of Adam Przeworski and with the index of the authors themselves. However, according to Przeworski in 2003, the definition of freedom in Gastil (1982) and Freedom House (1990) emphasized liberties rather than the exercise of freedom. He gave the following example: In the United States, citizens are free to form political parties and to vote, yet even in presidential elections only half of U.S. citizens vote; in

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