What Is Economic Nationalism?
Economic nationalism or nationalist economics is an ideology that prioritizes state intervention in the economy, including policies like domestic control and the use of tariffs and restrictions on labor, goods, and… Part of the Conservative family.
Definition
Economic nationalism or nationalist economics is an ideology that prioritizes state intervention in the economy, including policies like domestic control and the use of tariffs and restrictions on labor, goods, and capital movement.
Definition quoted from Wikipedia: Economic nationalism (text available under CC BY-SA 4.0; checked October 20, 2026).
Core ideas
- Protection of domestic industry.
- Tariffs and trade controls.
- National self-sufficiency in key sectors.
Associated thinkers and leaders
Alexander Hamilton, Friedrich List
Core ideas, origins and thinkers: Atlas summary.
Where Economic Nationalism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 50 | near the center | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 64 | near the center | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 42 | near the center | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 90 | strongly toward nationalist | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 27 | toward non-intervention |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 68 | toward private ownership |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 49 | near the center |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 90 | strongly toward nationalist |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 69 | toward traditionalist |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 36 | near the center |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 59 | near the center |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 76 | toward state planning |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 27 | toward non-intervention |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 53 | near the center |
These positions are estimates on the Atlas’s nine-dimension scale, produced by running the tradition’s core principles through the same questions and scoring used for test-takers. They are interpretations for comparison, not objective measurements. How scores are made.
Estimated positions on key questions
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| A national religious authority should have the power to veto legislation. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| People should be free to criticize the government without fear of legal punishment. | Agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| National borders should become less important over time. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Military power should be used proactively when serious external threats are emerging. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Markets generally distribute goods more effectively than government planners. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Medical gender transition should not be available to minors. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Class distinctions should gradually disappear. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Traditional values should guide what society considers right and wrong. | Agrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Conservative Populism, Economic Nationalism sits 10 points further toward collective / planned on the economic dimension.
- Compared with National Populism, Economic Nationalism sits 14 points further toward progressive on the social dimension.
- Compared with Peronism, Economic Nationalism sits 13 points further toward libertarian on the authority dimension.
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with Economic Nationalism.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Economic nationalism
- Wikipedia: Economic Nationalism (Wikipedia search)
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Nationalism
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Environmental Ethics
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.