China · 1978–1992
Deng Xiaoping
Opened markets under an unchallenged party. Reform, not liberalization of politics.
Deng Xiaoping is on the world-leaders chart for China, 1978–1992. The placement note, from the public governing record, is: Opened markets under an unchallenged party. Reform, not liberalization of politics.
The dot is economics +26 and authority +76, on a scale from −100 to +100. That is right of center on economics. The other axis sits toward authority. Left means a larger public role. Up means more authority. Neither direction is treated as the correct one.
A second note separates what was said in public from what the government then did. Said: It does not matter if the cat is black or white. Get rich, keep the party. Done: Markets and special zones. Tiananmen showed the political half was not negotiable. The gap, when there is one, is part of the placement. A promise that was kept and a promise that was dropped are not given the same weight.
The nearest other figures on these two numbers are Vladimir Putin (Russia, +14 / +80) and Viktor Orbán (Hungary, +18 / +64). Nearest means nearest on the chart, not alike in character.
Two governments can share a number and share nothing else. The source is the public governing record, not a news write-up and not a campaign advertisement.