Chris Blattman

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Seems like I’m just to the right of the Dalai Lama

You too can check your political compass with a simple online questionnaire.

Here’s where “a diverse professional team” has placed global political leaders along these economic and social policy axes:

Strange that the bottom right should be so empty. That’s precisely where I’d place the bulk of economists.

Meanwhile, here’s my score:

I’m definitely pleased to share the same quadrant as Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama (and the opposite one to Bush and Berlusconi).

I wonder, though, how the world leaders responded to illuminating and scientific questions like “astrology accurately explains many things: agree or disagree?”

Or, my favorite: “Agree or disagree: abstract art that doesn’t represent anything shouldn’t be considered art at all?”

Apparently George Bush doesn’t like abstract art.

Via Emirates Economist.

7 Responses

  1. thanks for pointing this out Chris. I too am a sucker for quizzes.
    I think the characterization of the top half of the graph as portraying authoritarian values is a bit of a misnomer. The questions capture more of a belief in the effectiveness of government or “statist” solutions I think.
    I came out the same as you – and I agree – most economists who work in development would likely be to our right on the graph).
    I think most folks who work on health and development would be to our north though – they have a much stronger belief in, and place more value on, statist solutions.
    It might be kind of a fun exercise to map the various sub-fields amongst our colleagues.

  2. Fun but I guess I disagreed on some things.

    The questions were problematic in terms of what they are measuring: Your idealization? your specific position of the current closest current issue?

    It probably would have been more consistent if it asked you to react to specific instances or scenarios.

    Also, I think questions tended to ignore that east-west positions often require north-south positions to achieve.

    Anyway, I landed 3/4 way down, & just right of the north south line.

  3. I was an economics major (no postgrad) and I ended up in the empty bottom right.

    Economic Left/Right: 6.25
    Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.59

    I’m okay with not having the same ideology as most politicians. However, the 2008 Primary compass says I’m right next to Mike Gravel, which I would not have expected.

    http://www.politicalcompass.org/usprimaries2008

  4. The question are rash overgeneralizations but I’m a sucker for those kinds of quizzes so I took it anyway. On the graph, I came up at x=.38 & y=-3.03, so pretty close to you. I’d like to see where I land on a similar quiz with vastly improved questions.

  5. Well geez, if the questions are really silly, maybe the whole test doesn’t really hold water? As any real statistician knows, a test is supposed to somehow differentiate (in this case) different people evenly to the area. It doesn’t, which means they’re measuring something else than what they claim – ie. the whole political compass is a lame leftist tool for political agenda. The test then neatly gathers all the “evil” people to the other corner.

  6. I am also an economist, graduated at a neoclassical school. I was surprised when Political Compass told me I was slightly on the “left”.

    I have my compass at the right of my blog.

    Greetings

  7. Considering your research and teaching interests, I’d be interested to know what was your response to this statement: “there are no savage and civilised peoples; there are only different cultures.”

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