This project aims to expand both the volume and the impact of research on the importance of economic freedom by promoting research on the newest of the economic freedom indices, the Metro Area Economic Freedom Index. By focusing on the local level, this new index opens up an avenue for scholars to test their hypotheses about the impact of differences in economic policies.

If scholars confirm the findings of the country and state-level research, that will help strengthen the argument that economic freedom is vital for economic prosperity and human flourishing in general.

The project led by Robert Lawson of Southern Methodist University will involve two primary activities and outputs:

1. Commissioning ten original scholarly articles, conducting a colloquium, and publishing the articles in a peer-reviewed academic journal
2. Conducting an outreach conference for the general public at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, TX. 

The project's anticipated impact is an increase in the usage of the metro area economic freedom index in both academic and public policy research and an increase in the awareness of the importance of economic freedom in general.