Sweden and Economic Freedom

Thanks to Michael for posting the interesting article comparing the state of things in the United Kingdom and Sweden.  I note, by way of friendly amendment to the arguments advanced by the author of the article that, according to the 2005 Index of Economic Freedom (link), which was put out by the "neo-liberal" (or, perhaps, neo-conservative?) Heritage Foundation, Sweden is one of the "freest" countries in the world (14th, just behind the United States).  It strikes me as not quite right, then, for the author of the piece to suggest, as he does, that Sweden's solid performance in a number of economic and social categories tells us much about how countries that pursue economic and social policies dramatically different from the UK's (or the USA's) fare in terms of controlling poverty.  (Sweden is also, I suppose, one of the more "secular", and certainly one of the more ethnically and culturally homogenous, of the "developed" nations -- two characteristics that might make it less useful as a model for American thinkers).

Rick