Freedom in the World is an institutional effort by Freedom House to monitor the progress and decline of political rights and civil liberties in 192 nations and 17 related and disputed territories. These year-end reviews of freedom began in 1955, when they were called the Balance Sheet of Freedom and,still later, the Annual Survey of the Progress of Freedom. This program was expanded in the early 1970s, and has been issued in a more developed context as a yearbook since 1978.

Since 1989, this distinguished Survey project has been a year long effort produced by regional experts, consultants, and human rights specialists. It derives its information from a wide range of authoritative sources. Most valued of these are the many human rights activists, journalists, editors, and political figures who keep the world informed of the human rights situation in their own countries.

Throughout the year, Freedom House personnel regularly conduct fact-finding missions to gain in-depth knowledge of the vast political transformations affecting our world,. These investigations make every effort to include meetings with a cross-sectionof political parties and associations, human rights monitors, religious figures, representatives of both the private sector and trade union movement, academics, and journalists. Freedom in the World is now the standard reference work for measuring progress,or the lack there of, in the process of regime democratization and political maturity.

Adrian Karatnycky is the president of Freedom House. Aili Piano is a senior researcher at Freedom House. This year's survey team includes: Martin Edwin Andersen, Gordon Bardos, Michael Goldfarb, Charles Graybow, Kristen Guida, Karin Deutsch Karlekar, Edward R. McMahon, Aili Piano, Arch Puddington, Amanda Schnetzer, Cindy Shiner, Leonard R. Sussman, and Kendra Zaharescu.