What Is Localism?
Localism is a range of political philosophies which prioritize the local over the national or international. Generally, localism supports local production and consumption of goods, local control of government, and… Part of the Technocratic family.
Definition
Localism is a range of political philosophies which prioritize the local over the national or international. Generally, localism supports local production and consumption of goods, local control of government, and promotion of local history, local culture and local identity.
Definition quoted from Wikipedia: Localism (politics) (text available under CC BY-SA 4.0; checked October 20, 2026).
Core ideas
- Decentralization.
- Community self-government.
- Local economies and identity.
Core ideas, origins and thinkers: Atlas summary.
Where Localism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 62 | near the center | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 58 | near the center | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 19 | toward libertarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 67 | toward nationalist | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 11 | strongly toward non-intervention |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 61 | near the center |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 27 | toward civil liberty |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 67 | toward nationalist |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 63 | near the center |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 12 | strongly toward democratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 44 | near the center |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 37 | near the center |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 11 | strongly toward non-intervention |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 45 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| People should be free to criticize the government without fear of legal punishment. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| A national religious authority should have the power to veto legislation. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Central economic planning is preferable to decentralized market decisions. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Military power should be used proactively when serious external threats are emerging. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| National borders should become less important over time. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Society works best when established social hierarchies are respected. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Medical gender transition should not be available to minors. | Agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Neutrality is preferable to involvement in disputes between major powers. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Civic Nationalism, Localism sits 20 points further toward non-intervention on the foreign policy dimension.
- Compared with Agrarianism, Localism sits 15 points further toward progressive on the social dimension.
- Compared with Christian Humanism, Localism sits 21 points further toward nationalist on the national identity dimension.
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with Localism.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Localism (politics)
- Wikipedia: Localism (Wikipedia search)
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.