Economy for Everyone
Big Economic Families vs My Working Beliefs
Framework | Decision and communication lenses
Big Economic Families vs My Working Beliefs
Type: Framework
My working beliefs (held lightly)
- healthier capitalism grows from the middle out
- competition beats concentrated power
- lowering the squeeze lowers rage and scapegoating
Scoring legend
++ strong fit, + fit, 0 mixed, - tension, -- conflict
Overall score uses: ++=+2, +=+1, 0=0, -=-1, --=-2
What the numbers mean (and do not mean)
These scores are a structured judgment aid, not an objective measurement.
What they mean:
- They summarize directional fit against E4E criteria.
- They help compare frameworks consistently on the same dimensions.
- They force tradeoffs to be explicit instead of rhetorical.
What they do not mean:
- They are not empirical proof that one family is “correct.”
- They are not a forecast of policy outcomes.
- They are not stable forever; scores should change when evidence or implementation patterns change.
How to read score distance:
0-2points apart: roughly similar fit; compare specific levers and guardrails.3-5points apart: meaningful directional difference.6+points apart: materially different alignment assumptions.
Update discipline:
- Re-score when major new evidence enters
08-case-studies/. - Log substantive score changes and rationale in
07-notes/decisions-log.md. - If confidence is low on a category, keep score but add a note rather than forcing certainty.
Grid view
| Economic family | Middle-out | Competition / anti-monopoly | Capacity / abundance | Simplicity | Guardrails / accountability | Inflation discipline | Anti-scapegoating | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Libertarian / classical liberal | 0 | + | 0 | ++ | 0 | + | + | +5 |
| Neoliberal / globalization-first technocracy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | + | + | + | +3 |
| Social democracy (Nordic-ish) | ++ | 0 | 0 | - | + | 0 | + | +4 |
| Christian democracy / communitarian center-right | + | 0 | 0 | 0 | + | + | 0 | +3 |
| Abundance / supply-side progressivism | + | + | ++ | + | + | ++ | + | +9 |
| Green industrial policy | + | 0 | + | - | 0 | + | + | +3 |
| National conservatism / right industrial policy | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | — | -6 |
| Austerity centrism (deficits above all) | - | 0 | — | + | 0 | ++ | 0 | 0 |
| Left populism (anti-monopoly + anti-corruption + pro-worker) | ++ | ++ | 0 | 0 | + | 0 | 0 | +7 |
Working summary
- Strong fit: abundance, practical left populism, social democracy with capacity + simplification.
- Conditional fit: communitarian center-right when materially pro-family and non-scapegoating.
- Cross-tribe failure mode: scapegoating + capture + scarcity + weak enforcement.
How to use this file
Use this as a comparison lens, not an identity label.
Ask of any framework:
- Does it lower the monthly squeeze?
- Does it increase real options and contestability?
- Does it build capacity without capture?
- Does it preserve dignity and anti-scapegoating norms?