The Impact of Economic Freedom and Total Freedom on Gross State In-Migration: An Exploratory Study of the Great Recession Experience

Typically, the greater the degree of economic freedom, the more successfully and efficiently markets perform and the greater the prosperity created through private enterprise. These outcomes from greater freedom accelerate economic growth, which in turn creates opportunities for yet further success. It can also be argued that greater personal freedom promotes higher levels of utility for consumers in non-economic ways. Accordingly, the present study empirically investigates whether the prospects of greater economic freedom on the one hand and greater economic plus personal freedom, i.e., greater total freedom, on the other hand in any given state vis-à-vis other states act(s) to induce a greater influx of migrants. This empirical study of domestic U.S. migration during the Great Recession finds clear evidence that migrants prefer to move to those states affording higher levels of economic freedom and higher levels of total freedom.