Reports on a series of tests for convergence of freedom (the concept that levels of freedom across the world tend to converge) in 136 countries from 1972 to 2001, using indices of political rights and civil liberties developed by the nongovernmental organization Freedom House in 2002. Time-series, stochastic, and cross-section tests were performed to examine the impact of a number of variables. The tests indicated that levels of political freedom converged over the 1972-2000 period for half the countries. Additionally, the tests showed that the level of freedom in a given country was significantly related to that country’s legal system, educational level, economic freedom, and natural resources.
