The Scale of Statism: A Framework for Ranking Socioeconomic Systems

This article introduces the scale of statism, a framework for understanding and ranking socioeconomic systems. It demonstrates that contrary to the established belief, the United States, other Western countries, and the current global order are statist systems, not capitalist ones. Contemporary socioeconomic systems are statist, meaning they are dominated by the government rather than market-driven, as a capitalist economy is. The article is divided into three parts. The first explains the philosophical and analytical framework that underpins the scale of statism. The second outlines the six systems that are ranked on the scale: 1) free-market capitalism, 2) crony capitalism, 3) mixed economy, 4) economic fascism, 5) democratic socialism, and 6) Marxist-Leninist socialism. The third part elaborates on the diagram used to illustrate the scale, using Angola as a case study. It is essential to recognize that Western countries and the present global order, led by the United States, are systems based on state coercion, repression, and technocratic socioeconomic management. Hence, they are statist, not capitalist as believed. This realization is crucial to understanding and potentially solving today’s social, economic, and geopolitical issues.