What Is Technocratic Authoritarianism?
Technocratic authoritarianism describes rule by experts and administrators who prioritize efficiency, economic development and stability over democratic participation and political freedom. Part of the Technocratic family.
Definition
Technocratic authoritarianism describes rule by experts and administrators who prioritize efficiency, economic development and stability over democratic participation and political freedom.
Atlas definition: written by The Ideology Atlas. Writers and movements define ideologies in different ways; this is a short working definition. Further reading: Wikipedia: Technocracy.
Core ideas
- Expert-led government.
- Development and efficiency over elections.
- Limited political pluralism.
How it is classified
A descriptive category rather than a self-identified movement.
Core ideas, origins and thinkers: Atlas summary.
Where Technocratic Authoritarianism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 46 | near the center | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 39 | near the center | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 82 | toward authoritarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 54 | near the center | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 63 | near the center |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 64 | near the center |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 72 | toward state restrictions |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 54 | near the center |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 43 | near the center |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 93 | strongly toward autocratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 78 | toward hierarchical |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 81 | toward state planning |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 63 | near the center |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 30 | toward secular state |
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 |
| A strong leader who gets things done matters more than following proper procedures. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Preserving a historic national majority is a legitimate immigration objective. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| National security can justify restrictions on what journalists publish. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Markets generally distribute goods more effectively than government planners. | Strongly disagrees | 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 |
| Same-sex couples should have the same right to marry as opposite-sex couples. | Agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Worker-owned cooperatives should replace traditional shareholder-owned corporations. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with State Capitalism, Technocratic Authoritarianism sits 24 points further toward cosmopolitan on the national identity dimension.
- Compared with Technocracy, Technocratic Authoritarianism sits 27 points further toward authoritarian on the authority dimension.
- Compared with Kemalism, Technocratic Authoritarianism sits 38 points further toward cosmopolitan on the national identity dimension.
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with Technocratic Authoritarianism.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Technocracy
- Wikipedia: Technocratic Authoritarianism (Wikipedia search)
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Democracy
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.