Do you prefer the world of Adam Smith or the world of Karl Marx? Prof. Robert Lawson tells the story of his numerous discussions about this very question with his friends in college. Even after years of theoretical discussion with his friends, a conclusion was never reached between them. Prof. Robert Lawson now works on the Economic Freedom of the World project, which is an empirical study that attempts to answer this same question. In order to do this, the study compares data related to economic freedom and quality of life. It finds that countries with institutions resembling those advocated by Adam Smith tend to provide the highest quality of life to its citizens. The latest edition of the Economic Freedom of the World report can be found here: http://www.freetheworld.com/release.html