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
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.”