An Economic Ranking of the US Presidents, 1789–2009: A Data-Based Approach

In: PS - political science & politics, Volume 45, Issue 4, p. 596-604

Abstract

AbstractHow relatively good or bad were the economic performances of our past presidents?
The answers to this question remain unclear. Most evaluations of presidential
performance cloud the issue with partisan bias and subjective judgments or mix
economics together with other policy areas. To address these shortcomings, this
article uses new data from the Measuring Worth Project to calculate the relative
economic rankings of the United States presidents who served from 1789 until 2009.
It analyzes up to 220 years of data on economic growth, unemployment, inflation,
government debt, balance of payments, income inequality, currency strength, interest
rates, and stock market returns to estimate an economic grade point average for each
president. Then, these estimates are used to test for correlations with other
variables to generate hypotheses regarding the conditions for superior and inferior
economic performance.