United States — Reagan administration (1981–1989)
United States
Basis for the estimate: Tax cuts, deregulation, defense build-up, 1986 immigration amnesty.
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, 1981–1989, 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 | 84 | toward market | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 67 | toward traditional | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 32 | toward libertarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 70 | toward nationalist | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 80 | toward intervention |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 85 | toward private ownership |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 43 | near the center |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 70 | toward nationalist |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 70 | toward traditionalist |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 20 | toward democratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 71 | toward hierarchical |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 19 | toward free market |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 80 | toward intervention |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 60 | near the center |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Strongly agrees | estimated |
| Central economic planning is preferable to decentralized market decisions. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| A national religious authority should have the power to veto legislation. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| People should be free to criticize the government without fear of legal punishment. | Strongly agrees | estimated |
| Foreign wars should be avoided unless national territory is directly threatened. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| National borders should become less important over time. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Cutting taxes is generally better for the economy than increasing public spending. | Strongly agrees | from their record |
| Traditional values should guide what society considers right and wrong. | Agrees | estimated |
| Military power should be used proactively when serious external threats are emerging. | Agrees | estimated |
Closest ideologies
Most similar governments
Sources
- Wikipedia: Presidency of Ronald Reagan (Wikipedia search)
Last reviewed October 11, 2026.