Economist
Frédéric Bastiat
A French economist, Bastiat defended free trade and limited government with clarity and irony, denouncing protectionism and what is not seen in economic policies, becoming a classic of liberal thought.

Image: Émile Desmaisons. Lithograph by Auguste-Hilaire Léveillé. · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · cropped and resized
Economist · 1801–1850
Profile is a model built from 240 answers simulated in character; not a statement by the person.
Compare your own views01 / The profile
Twelve axes, one perspective
02 / What stands out
Three distinctive positions
52.9pt
Trade
8.8% Protectionism, compared with the ideology catalog’s 61.7% median.
How open should the economy be to international exchange?
52.5pt
Control
10% Planning, compared with the ideology catalog’s 62.5% median.
How should economic activity be coordinated?
45.0pt
Economy
12.5% Public, compared with the ideology catalog’s 57.5% median.
Who should own productive assets and provide essential services?
The profile in detail
Government and accountability. Structure: 73.8% Federal, 26.2% Unitary (Strong Federal); Representation: 75% Democracy, 25% Autocracy (Strong Democracy). This combination separates where authority is located from how leaders are selected and constrained. It preserves those two choices even when a broad political label does not distinguish them. On Representation, the 877-profile catalog median is 57.5% Democracy; Frédéric Bastiat sits 17.5 points above it. 274 reference profiles share this band.
Civil power and culture. Power: 25% Security, 75% Liberty (Strong Liberty); Immigration: 28.7% Assimilation, 71.3% Multiculturalism (Leaning Multiculturalism). The first contrast concerns limits on civil life; the second concerns cultural adaptation and plural identities. Reading them together avoids inferring an immigration position solely from a preference about security. On Power, the 877-profile catalog median is 58.8% Security; Frédéric Bastiat sits 33.8 points below it. 87 reference profiles share this band.
Force and foreign policy. Diplomacy: 26.3% Militarist, 73.7% Pacifist (Strong Pacifist); Intervention: 72.5% Non-interventionist, 27.5% Nationalist (Strong Non-interventionist). Military capacity and projection of national interests are distinct choices in this model. These coordinates show how the profile combines military means and external objectives, without assuming that they always move together. On Intervention, the 877-profile catalog median is 48.8% Non-interventionist; Frédéric Bastiat sits 23.7 points above it. 105 reference profiles share this band.
Ownership, coordination and trade. Economy: 12.5% Public, 87.5% Private (Very strong Private); Control: 10% Planning, 90% Free market (Very strong Free market); Trade: 8.8% Protectionism, 91.2% Globalism (Very strong Globalism). These ask three different questions: who owns, how activity is coordinated and how the economy engages abroad. The economic profile of Frédéric Bastiat depends on that combination, rather than a single left or right classification. On Economy, the 877-profile catalog median is 53.2% Public; Frédéric Bastiat sits 40.7 points below it. 36 reference profiles share this band.
Belief and social norms. Religion: 50% Irreligious, 50% Religious (Balanced); Morality: 40% Progressive, 60% Traditionalist (Leaning Traditionalist). The model keeps religious influence separate from continuity in social norms. These values describe the reference profile; they do not assign a religion to someone who receives this match in the quiz. On Morality, the 877-profile catalog median is 38.8% Progressive; Frédéric Bastiat sits 1.2 points above it. 197 reference profiles share this band.
Technology and limits. Technology: 63.7% Technology, 36.3% Biology (Leaning Technology). This adds a perspective on innovation and biological continuity that cannot be inferred directly from the economic coordinates. For Frédéric Bastiat, the 13.7-point distance from the center indicates the intensity of this particular position. On Technology, the 877-profile catalog median is 57.5% Technology; Frédéric Bastiat sits 6.2 points above it. 299 reference profiles share this band.
03 / Connections
Nearby profiles

Milton Friedman
97.8% compatibility

Ludwig von Mises
97.6% compatibility

Friedrich Hayek
95.7% compatibility

Henry George
94.8% compatibility

Gustave de Molinari
94.7% compatibility

David Ricardo
94.2% compatibility
At the other end of the catalog
Closest ideologies
Closest countries & regions
Three views of compatibility
Political
Neoliberalism
94.2%
12 axes considered
Social
Capitalism
94.9%
9 axes considered
Economic
Authoritarian Neoliberalism
99.8%
3 axes considered
Further reading
1850
The Law
Find the book ↗Got Frédéric Bastiat on the 12 Axes test?
Look at the other nearby profiles and the axes where you differ. A match is a starting point for exploring ideas, rather than a final identity.
Understand your result ↗Frequently asked questions
What does getting Frédéric Bastiat on the test mean?
Your twelve scores are relatively close to this reference profile. A match describes similarity inside the model; it does not imply agreement with every action, policy or belief associated with Frédéric Bastiat.
Which ideology is closest to Frédéric Bastiat?
Neoliberalism has 94.2% compatibility in the catalog. This score combines axis proximity, overall direction, intensity and the largest difference between the profiles.
Which axis stands out for Frédéric Bastiat?
Trade is among the furthest from the center: 8.8% Protectionism and 91.2% Globalism. Read all twelve axes to understand the full combination.
Your perspective, in detail
Where do your ideas stand?
Explore twelve dimensions and discover the combinations that make your perspective your own.



