Freedom in the World: 1997-1998

The Comparative Survey of Freedom is an institutional effort by Freedom House to monitor the progress and decline of political rights and civil lib erties in 191 nations and 59 related territories. These year-end reviews of freedom began in 1955, when they were called the Balance Sheet of Free dom and, still later, the Annual Sur vey of the Progress of Freedom. This program was expanded in the early 1970s, and has appeared in Freedom Review since 1973. It has also been issued in a more developed context as a yearbook since 1978.Since 1989, the Survey project has been a year-long effort produced by regional experts, consultants and hu man rights specialists. The Survey derives its information from a wide range of sources. Most valued of these are the many human rights activists, journalists, editors and political fig ures around the world who keep us informed of the human rights situa tion in their countries.Throughout the year. Freedom House personnel regularly conduct fact-finding missions to gain more in-depth knowledge of the vast political transformations affecting our world. During these week-to-month-long in vestigations, we make every effort to meet a cross-section of political par ties and associations, human rights monitors, religious figures, represen tatives of both the private sector and trade union movement, academics and journalists. During the past year. Free dom House staff traveled to numerous countries throughout most of the world's geographical and political re gions. The Survey project team also consults a vast array of published source materials, ranging from the reports of other human rights organi zations to often rare, regional news papers and magazines.This year's Survey team includes: Adrian Karatnycky, Martin Edwin Anderson, Kristen Guida, Marshall Freeman Harris, Thomas R. Lansner, Arch Puddington, Leonard R. Sussman, and George Zarycky. The general edi tor of Freedom in the World is Roger Kaplan; the managing editor is Tara Kelly. This year's research coordinator was Charles Graybow.