The economic freedom of a province or U.S. state such as Ontario or California declines when their aggregate population exceeds 9.5 million people, often resulting in higher government spending, higher taxes, and less flexible labour markets, a new study reveals. The Fraser Institute study (pdf), titled “The Determinants of Subnational Economic Freedom,” analyzed 158 provinces and states in seven countries to determine the correlation between the population size of a province or a state and their economic freedom. It aims to provide “the first-ever multi-country, comprehensive examination of the determinants of subnational economic freedom scores.” “Government spending and taxes, and labour market flexibility, or what has been referred to as economic freedom, is linked [with] high levels of prosperity, economic growth, and overall well-being,” Russell Sobel, senior fellow at the Fraser Institute and author of the study, said in a news release. The most notable finding is that there seems …