No. 1: Denmark 2007 Rank: 4
After winning a third term last year, Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has announced plans to cut taxes while addressing Denmark’s need to prevent innovative entrepreneurs from pursuing international efforts by backing a new entrepreneurial academy known as 180academy.
No. 2: Ireland 2007 Rank: 21
After putting the Treaty of Lisbon to a referendum, the Irish vote down a proposal to centralize power within E.U. through strengthening of the presidential role and creation of a new foreign-policy post.
No. 3: Finland 2007 Rank: 7
A center-right government, elected in April 2007, plans to combat declining investment and labor shortages through tax cuts, budget increase for government-funded research and development and the merger of three Helsinki universities.
No. 4: United States 2007 Rank: 1
The weak U.S. dollar continues to weigh on global commodity prices, though the Federal Reserve has signaled plans to leave interest rates at current levels, if not higher, in the coming months as the domestic economy sputters.
No. 5: United Kingdom 2007 Rank: 10
Inflation is a concern as recent figures cite an annual rate of 3.3%, well above the Bank of England’s 2% target. Yet similar to the U.S., changing interest rates to root out inflation risks damaging further its financial markets, a sector responsible for roughly a fifth of U.K. workers.
No. 6: Sweden 2007 Rank: 9
Run by social democrats for 65 of the last 76 years, Sweden’s economic fortitude has persevered thanks to private enterprise and entrepreneurs. Still, pro-business reform would need to address a bloated public sector and unemployment the IMF reports at up to 20%, despite an official rate of just 5%.
No. 7: Canada 2007 Rank: 2
As export volumes fall amid the downturn in the U.S. economy and a strengthened Loonie, the Canadian government is pursuing a free-trade pact with Colombia just as support in the U.S. Congress waffles.
No. 8: Singapore 2007 Rank: 14
Despite a 25-year-record rate of inflation (7.5%), tax-friendly Singapore has managed price fluctuations better than most of its neighbors by allowing exchange rates to guide policy, rather than adjusting interest rates.
No. 9: Hong Kong 2007 Rank: 8
A new agency created to investigate anti-competitive business activities threatens to cloud Hong Kong’s already competitive free-market economy, as opponents point to vague guidelines used to determine which companies qualify for investigation.
No. 10: Estonia 2007 Rank: 24
After joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the E.U. in 2004, Estonia has increasingly focused on technological development and focused efforts on becoming an outsourcing destination for countries seeking skilled employees and high-tech infrastructure.
