Governance Labs — Governance Topology Series
The Price of Tyranny
Economic and human returns on governance across the Liberty continuum · 91 countries · 15 indicators · 1800–2025
3.7×
GDP Premium
Free vs Not Free per capita
+10 yrs
Life Expectancy Gap
81 vs 71 years at birth
5.2×
Infant Mortality
Not Free babies die 5× more
16×
Poverty Multiplier
12.7% vs 0.8% extreme poverty
r = 0.62
Correlation
Liberty × Human Capabilities
Section I
Who Pays the Price? Ten Stakeholder Returns
The governance premium compounds across every measurable dimension of human welfare. Free societies don't just produce more wealth — they distribute it more broadly.
Section II
The Evidence: Ten Dimensions of Returns
Each chart maps a distinct return on governance. Together, they tell a single story: liberty is the most efficient development policy ever measured.
Section III
The Four Quadrants: Capability Without Liberty
39 countries have built capable institutions under autocratic rule — high HCI scores with low liberty. The question is whether capability without freedom is stable or sustainable.
METHODOLOGY NOTE: The PTI score of L≈48 reflects the author's real-time institutional assessment incorporating executive action pace through early 2026. Published indices score the US higher: Freedom House 83/100 (2024 report), V-Dem LDI ≈0.65–0.72 (scaled: ~65–72). The divergence reflects the PTI's faster update cycle, weighting toward institutional constraint erosion, and incorporation of events post-dating published index coverage. All claims should be evaluated under both the author's PTI and established indices.