Economic Schools of Thought · A Theoretical Continuum

How Economies Should Be Organized
From Degrowth & Commons to State Capitalism & Command Economy

Twelve major schools of economic thought mapped from most collective and redistributive on the left to most market-sovereign or state-directed on the right. Click any school to explore its core claims, key figures, and policy implications.

← All Continuums
⚠ Axis note: The horizontal axis here is not a simple left-right political spectrum. It runs from collective ownership / redistribution / commons-based on the left toward market sovereignty in the centre-right, then toward state-directed / command economy on the far right. Some schools resist simple placement — Austrian economics is far-right market-sovereign, while State Capitalism places state control above markets but from a nationalist rather than socialist motive. This continuum describes analytical frameworks and prescriptions, not political parties. Economists across the political spectrum draw from multiple traditions simultaneously.
← Collective · Commons · Redistributive Market-Sovereign →           ← State-Directed
🧠 Hawkins Consciousness Calibration — the attractor field animating each school What is this? →
20 Shame175 Pride200 ★ Courage 350 Acceptance500 ★ Love700 Enlightenment1000
Post-Capitalist
Socialist
Heterodox Left
Progressive
Mainstream Centre
Liberal / Neoliberal
Market Fundamentalist
State-Directed
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Role of the State
State abolish / witherReplace capitalism with commons, cooperatives, or community-based provisioning; state to dissolve
State as plannerState owns/directs key industries; plans production; distributes surplus
Active fiscal policyState spends freely to achieve full employment; deficit spending is a tool not a problem
Moderate interventionState corrects market failures, funds public goods, manages demand through interest rates
Minimal interventionState protects property rights, enforces contracts; monetary policy is preferred over fiscal
No interventionState is the problem; all intervention creates distortions; spontaneous order only
State as economic directorState owns or guides 'strategic' industries; national interest overrides market outcomes
📊
View of Growth
Growth is the problemInfinite growth on a finite planet is impossible; degrowth or steady-state is necessary
Growth is secondaryWellbeing, equality, and sustainability matter more than GDP; growth may be incidental
Growth enables justiceFull employment and growth are prerequisites for redistribution; they go together
Managed growthSteady, sustainable growth with stable inflation; growth is the goal, instability the enemy
Growth via marketsFree markets produce optimal growth; government interference suppresses it
Growth via state directionState-guided industrial policy and export promotion drive superior growth outcomes
🏦
Money & Finance
Finance is extractiveFinancial capital is a parasite on productive economy; commons over capital markets
Money is a public utilityCurrency-issuing governments face no inherent financial constraint; deficits fund employment
Banks create creditPrivate banks create money endogenously; this is inherently unstable without regulation
Central bank managesInflation targeting via interest rates; independent central bank as guardian of stability
Sound moneyGold standard or hard currency rules; inflation is always a monetary phenomenon
State controls moneyCentral bank is an arm of the state; monetary policy serves national development goals
Select any school above to explore its core claims, key figures, and historical record
Sources: Wikipedia — Schools of Economic Thought, Heterodox Economics, MMT, Degrowth, Austrian School, Neoliberalism;
Pew Research Center; INOMICS — Austrian Economics; Pragmatic Capitalism — Schools of Economics Cheat Sheet;
The Economics Review; MAS Economics; Fiveable — Economic Schools of Thought; Lancet Planetary Health (2025); Phys.org (2025).
All Hawkins calibrations are editorial — inferred from Hawkins' published principles. Economics is explicitly outside his published calibration work.