Introduction
Countries that have achieved high levels of economic development are those where individual freedom has prevailed, both politically and economically. These nations uphold and respect liberties such as religion, opinion, expression, and property, allowing individuals to exercise them without interference from others, as highlighted by Isaiah Berlin in his essay “Two Concepts of Liberty”.
Political Freedom
Political freedom is rooted in a democratic system for electing the head of the executive branch and members of the legislative branch, along with an effective division of independent powers, particularly the judicial power. Its primary functions are to safeguard constitutional order and protect individuals from actions by third parties, including government acts that infringe on individual rights.
Economic Freedom
Economic freedom stems from the right to property. With guaranteed and protected property rights, individuals can use their resources according to preferences and purposes while respecting others’ rights. They also have the freedom to transfer property through voluntary transactions, requiring competitive markets for goods, services, and production factors with equal access opportunities.
Additional Elements of Economic Freedom
Economic freedom includes five additional elements: absence of corruption in government acts, price stability, a maximum tax burden to finance legitimate government functions, absence of barriers to trade and international capital movements, and judicial guarantee of contract fulfillment.
The Myth of the Common Good
It’s crucial to emphasize that the concept of “common good” is utopian and cannot be defined. When a ruler refers to a supposed “common good” to justify decisions, they actually impose their preferences and vision of what should be the relevant universe. There are no “benevolent dictators” or “enlightened autocrats,” either.
Diminished Freedom in Mexico
Since neither López nor Sheinbaum are liberals, Mexicans have witnessed a decrease in their freedom, both politically and economically. Today, Mexicans are less free than seven years ago, and this trend is expected to continue in the near future.
Political Freedom Degradation
Politically, Mexicans have observed the destruction of liberal democracy and the construction of an authoritarian system. The executive branch now acts discretionally instead of under rules, with no transparency or accountability. The government’s capture of electoral organs, INE and TRIFE, eliminated the guarantee of impartial arbitration in future elections.
Judicial Power Degradation
Political freedom further degrades with the destruction of the Federal Republic’s Judicial Power. Popular voting for all judges, magistrates, and justices does not ensure competent individuals’ selection. Government and Morena legislators’ “palomeo” (favor) of candidates predicts a subordinate judicial power to the executive. This implies Mexicans will lose judicial protection when arbitrary government actions threaten their property, religion, opinion, and expression freedoms (the latter two would be violated if the proposed Telecommunications Law, allowing government censorship, is approved).
Economic Freedom Loss
Mexicans have also lost economic freedom. First, the government increased its involvement in private goods provision through notoriously inefficient companies assigned “social functions” to maximize the utopian “common good,” resulting in persistent losses, fiscal deficits, and national wealth destruction.
- Discrimination against the private sector in key economic sectors like energy.
- Fiscal deficit absorbing financial and diverting private investment resources.
- Disappearance of the IFT and Cofece, allowing the government as a regulator to grant privileged treatment to certain companies for monopolistic rents at consumers’ expense.
- Increased government corruption, now persistent without the INAI to monitor it.
- Weakened legal guarantee, increasing investment risk.
The Greatest Threat to Economic Freedom
The most significant threat to economic freedom is the authoritarian government’s ability, with its statist philosophy, to modify the Constitution and decree private property’s disappearance or condition/subject it to specific use to pursue the utopian, indefinable “common good.”
Conclusion
Without political democracy and legal certainty regarding private property, with diminished freedom, envisioning Mexico’s development is a utopia.
