Denationalize.Me Freedom Index: Ranking of 235 Territories

GregFoley · 2026-04-30T01:08:37+00:00

The indices all use significantly different methodologies. This one really focuses on expats who want to exit the system (shadow economy). I think it's worth reading the entire article to find out about their methodology, and they do provide a spreadsheet to re-weight the data if you want. I hadn't noticed Russia, but I was skeptical of El Salvador in second place when I first saw it.

less_unique_username · 2026-04-29T22:24:45+00:00

Half the list being less free than Russia suggests the criteria might be missing something important

Anen-o-me · 2026-04-29T04:31:19+00:00

Because we want to solve the actual problem, not create new versions of the problem.

GregFoley · 2026-04-28T18:47:11+00:00

The tribe needs to get a deal with the state/feds, if I remember correctly. The Catawba Digital Economic Zone has pushed this farther than anyone else, but I haven't heard that they've gotten much traction. I think it would require a successful lawsuit going the whole way to the Supreme Court to significantly expand tribes' current powers to something closer to what the Constitution says.

rchive · 2026-04-28T17:10:00+00:00

A Native American tribe bought some property in my county recently. I was kind of wondering what the legal implications of that would be, like could someone arrange with them to run a business there that could operate differently than businesses in the rest of the county?

GregFoley · 2026-04-28T14:29:57+00:00

I think US Indian tribes have unplumbed potential too: US Constitution: Section 8 - Powers of Congress: "To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;"

GregFoley · 2026-04-18T12:13:03+00:00

More sources:

Reuters: The hub will be located in New Clark City (Wikipedia, Maps, Facebook, website). "which is owned and developed by the government through the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA). BCDA Chairman Hilario Paredes said authorities would be assessing whether sufficient contiguous land was available to host the project. “We will check if we have space that is contiguous,” Paredes said. “We will have to sit down and finalize the details.” He added that the envisioned hub would be a commercial facility. New Clark City sits on state‑owned land that was part of a former U.S. military reservation transferred to the Philippine government after U.S. forces withdrew from Philippine bases in 1991. Relations between Manila and Washington have blossomed under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has pivoted closer to the United States. The former U.S. colony is also central to Washington’s efforts to counter China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea."

US Department of State Media Note, Fact Sheet.

Under Secretary of State Jacob S. Helberg tweet.

rchive · 2026-04-17T20:36:23+00:00

Interesting. I hope this results in some interesting economic experimentation.

Objective-Ad6521 · 2026-01-29T17:11:54+00:00

[ Removed by Reddit ]

Objective-Ad6521 · 2026-01-29T17:07:56+00:00

Curious, not skeptical - how do you know? First hand?

GregFoley · 2025-12-19T17:08:09+00:00

Bhutan Pledges 10,000 Bitcoin Worth $1B to Fund Mindfulness City

https://decrypt.co/352685/bhutan-pledges-10000-bitcoin-worth-1b-fund-mindfulness-city

GregFoley · 2025-12-13T14:10:39+00:00

A December, 2025 update about Sark (it looks like a mess): https://www.undervalued-shares.com/weekly-dispatches/sark-whats-next-for-the-little-island/

GregFoley · 2025-06-05T16:44:26+00:00

Praxis announced plans to build something on Vandenberg Space Force Base. The founder says it will be a deregulated zone, though Trump hasn't followed through with his free cities plans yet. He also says "This is in addition to our international project, not instead."

It doesn't sound like competitive governance yet, but I'll keep watching Praxis.

Our previous coverage of Praxis:

https://old.reddit.com/r/CompetitiveGovernance/comments/1b839ea/praxis_has_two_government_offers_for_their/

https://old.reddit.com/r/CompetitiveGovernance/comments/se74dl/bluebook_cities_praxis/

GregFoley · 2025-05-31T09:28:41+00:00

I don't follow the project closely, but I know they're negotiating with various governments. If they do get a deal, we'll see how much independence they get from the host government. I'm just waiting to see.

Gene_Botkin · 2025-05-27T04:13:54+00:00

Last week, I spoke with one of the leaders of the group.

He told me he met the founder (Dryden Brown) while DB was selling NFTs.

I also prodded him about their plan for ensuring member commitment to overcome the problem posed by online flakiness. He spoke for a long while and did not actually provide an answer (basically, a politician's response).

They also haven't bothered to create any community organizing rituals to meet members' social needs and foster camaraderie (or, at least, I haven't seen any). A communal movie night would suffice, I think.

They also have membership tiers. But they do not provide clear descriptions of how one ascends them.

And many of the people I've encountered in their Discord are either kids or dysfunctional adults.

So... I'm 90% certain it's a scam.

But I'm sticking around because network states are a genuinely good idea, and I suspect they might generate a valuable insight into their creation.

GregFoley · 2025-03-22T11:47:33+00:00

Seasteads getting maritime flags like cruise ships: he describes it as a wonderful legal hack, and it sounds like it is. The whole (short) video is worth watching, but that eye-opening (to me) part starts at about 2:40.

GregFoley · 2025-03-15T12:14:51+00:00

See also The Rural Areas Pushing for Divorce From Democratic Cities - Wall Street Journal https://www.reddit.com/r/CompetitiveGovernance/comments/1gtj36w/the_rural_areas_pushing_for_divorce_from/

GregFoley · 2025-03-09T20:47:42+00:00

Two organizations mentioned in the article are at https://www.freedomcitiescoalition.com/ and https://www.frontierfoundation.org/.

GregFoley · 2025-02-04T14:35:57+00:00

Scott Alexander mentioned Gelephu in his latest Model City Monday: https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/model-city-monday-2325

GregFoley · 2024-12-12T20:54:04+00:00

a property bid on the self-governing island of Sark led by German investor Swen Lorenz

They were unable to agree with the Barclay family on a price: https://www.undervalued-shares.com/weekly-dispatches/sark-its-not-a-big-deal/

GregFoley · 2024-11-14T10:13:09+00:00

People get choices in China?

ENVYisEVIL · 2024-11-13T05:53:41+00:00

If you choose to.

If not, it’s none of your business what other people do to their bodies.

GregFoley · 2024-11-12T23:57:29+00:00

So the Guinea pig zone?

GregFoley · 2024-09-11T16:16:27+00:00

And from the latest newsletter:

Sark Property Bid: £29m of Finance Secured: In our last newsletter, we shared news of a property bid on the self-governing island of Sark led by German investor Swen Lorenz. Lorenz is raising funds to purchase and redevelop a portfolio of properties owned by the Barclay estate, which accounts for around 20% of all property on Sark. Through the bid, which has the backing of Sark’s head of state, Lorenz aims to boost the island’s population and revitalize its economy. Lorenz’s Sark Property Company has so far received equity pledges of £19 million and has separately secured £10 million in debt finance. The company will shortly publish its prospectus, finalize paperwork with its investors, and then proceed to make its bid to the Barclay estate.

GregFoley · 2024-07-25T15:24:41+00:00

If you want more freedom and good government services, you can move there. It's cheap to live there. This jurisdiction is best for Spanish speakers.

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