Portrait of John Kenneth Galbraith
Center-left · Economist · From history

John Kenneth Galbraith

Canadian-American economist, 1908 to 2006

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Wrote The Affluent Society, arguing that rich countries neglect public goods while spending on private consumption, and advised John F. Kennedy.

John Kenneth Galbraith sits in the left-libertarian part of the Caucus economy and liberty compass: strongly state-led and leaning libertarian. The clearest positions are strongly state-led on economy, strongly institutional on institutions and leaning progressive on culture.

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Where John Kenneth Galbraith sits on ten dimensions

Each scale runs from one pole to the other, and the dot shows the overall tendency of this person's record and public life. These are simplified estimates and open to debate.

💰EconomyStrongly state-led
State-ledFree market
⚖️Liberty and authorityLeaning libertarian
LibertarianAuthoritarian
🎭CultureLeaning progressive
ProgressiveTraditional
🌍NationSlightly globalist
GlobalistNationalist
🌱EnvironmentSlightly nature-first
Growth-firstNature-first
🤖TechnologyLeaning tech-optimist
Tech-cautiousTech-optimist
🕊️War and peaceLeaning peace-first
Peace-firstStrength-first
🏛️InstitutionsStrongly institutional
Anti-establishmentInstitutional
🙏ReligionLeaning secular
SecularReligious
🛡️InterventionismSlightly non-interventionist
Non-interventionistInterventionist

People most like John Kenneth Galbraith

Gough Whitlam Prime Minister of Australia, 1972 to 197599%Joseph Stiglitz American economist99%Robert Reich American economist and former US Labor Secretary99%Paul Krugman American economist and columnist99%Pierre Trudeau Prime Minister of Canada, 1968 to 1979 and 1980 to 198499%John Rawls American philosopher, 1921 to 200299%J. Robert Oppenheimer American physicist, 1904 to 196799%Nicola Sturgeon First Minister of Scotland, 2014 to 202399%

People furthest from John Kenneth Galbraith

Jair Bolsonaro President of Brazil, 2019 to 202210%Abelardo de la Espriella President of Colombia, 2026 to present11%Donald Trump US President, 2017 to 2021 and 2025 to present12%Benito Mussolini Prime Minister of Italy, 1922 to 194312%

Political views closest to John Kenneth Galbraith

Social democracyKeeps a market economy but adds strong public services, unions and progressive taxes to…99%Nordic modelPairs open markets and high trust with high taxes, strong unions and generous public…99%FabianismPursues socialism gradually through research, education and reform rather than revolution.99%Modern monetary theoryArgues that governments issuing their own currency can spend to reach full employment,…99%

Read more about John Kenneth Galbraith

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Biographies of John Kenneth GalbraithBooks on social democracy

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Percentages show how close two profiles are across all ten dimensions. Including a person here is for study and comparison, not approval. Portrait: Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. Photographer is unknown., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; see all photo credits.