United States — Obama administration (2009–2017)
United States
Basis for the estimate: Affordable Care Act, stimulus, Dodd-Frank, drone campaigns, DACA by executive action.
Official system and how it worked in practice
| Official system | Federal presidential constitutional republic |
|---|---|
| In practice | Liberal democracy electoral democracy plus strong rule of law, judicial and legislative checks, and protected individual rights |
“In practice” is V-Dem’s Regimes of the World classification for United States of America, 2009–2017, from expert-coded data (V-Dem Regimes of the World (v2x_regime), V-Dem dataset v16, March 2026). V-Dem codes each country as it stood at the end of each year, so the first and last years can reflect the previous or next government. The official system is the constitutional form during the period.
Political placement
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 52 | near the center | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 24 | toward progressive | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 39 | near the center | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 30 | toward cosmopolitan | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 60 | near the center |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 60 | near the center |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 48 | near the center |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 30 | toward cosmopolitan |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 25 | toward progressive |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 31 | toward democratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 41 | near the center |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 59 | near the center |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 60 | near the center |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 22 | toward secular state |
Country and government scores interpret the policies of a specific government or period; they are not an authoritative ranking of countries, and official constitutional structures can differ from how power is exercised in practice. How scores are made.
Key positions (estimated)
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Religious doctrine should take precedence over civil law when they conflict. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Strongly agrees | estimated |
| Preserving a historic national majority is a legitimate immigration objective. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| People should be free to criticize the government without fear of legal punishment. | Strongly agrees | estimated |
| Central economic planning is preferable to decentralized market decisions. | Disagrees | estimated |
| Same-sex couples should have the same right to marry as opposite-sex couples. | Strongly agrees | estimated |
| Society works best when established social hierarchies are respected. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Non-intervention should be the default even when allies request military assistance. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Strict term limits should apply to the head of government. | Strongly agrees | estimated |
Closest ideologies
Most similar governments
Sources
- Wikipedia: Presidency of Barack Obama (Wikipedia search)
Last reviewed October 11, 2026.