What Is State Capitalism?
State capitalism is an economic system in which the state undertakes business and commercial economic activity and where the means of production are nationalized as state-owned enterprises. Part of the Technocratic family.
Definition
State capitalism is an economic system in which the state undertakes business and commercial economic activity and where the means of production are nationalized as state-owned enterprises.
Definition quoted from Wikipedia: State capitalism (text available under CC BY-SA 4.0; checked October 20, 2026).
Core ideas
- State-owned or state-directed enterprises.
- Markets and profit within state guidance.
- The state as the main economic actor.
Core ideas, origins and thinkers: Atlas summary.
Where State Capitalism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 51 | near the center | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 51 | near the center | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 80 | toward authoritarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 79 | toward nationalist | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 58 | near the center |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 80 | toward private ownership |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 75 | toward state restrictions |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 79 | toward nationalist |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 56 | near the center |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 85 | toward autocratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 78 | toward hierarchical |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 93 | strongly toward state planning |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 58 | near the center |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 39 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Religious doctrine should take precedence over civil law when they conflict. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| National borders should become less important over time. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Markets generally distribute goods more effectively than government planners. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| A strong leader who gets things done matters more than following proper procedures. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| National security can justify restrictions on what journalists publish. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Class distinctions should gradually disappear. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Non-intervention should be the default even when allies request military assistance. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Transgender women should be able to compete in women’s sports. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Subsidies should encourage industries considered vital to national security. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Technocratic Authoritarianism, State Capitalism sits 25 points further toward nationalist on the national identity dimension.
- Compared with Kemalism, State Capitalism sits 18 points further toward traditional on the social dimension.
- Compared with Developmentalism, State Capitalism sits 30 points further toward authoritarian on the authority dimension.
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with State Capitalism.
Sources
- Wikipedia: State capitalism
- Wikipedia: State Capitalism (Wikipedia search)
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.