Historians who earn their keep by rating U.S. presidents tend to equate successful economic policies with big government. Rigorous assessments free of such bias would shed much-needed light on presidential successes and failures.

Robert M. Whaples is a Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute and Co-Editor of The Independent Review.
Economic History and DevelopmentEconomic PolicyEconomyFiscal Policy/DebtGovernment and PoliticsLaw and LibertyPolitical Theory
Other Independent Review articles by Robert M. Whaples
Spring 2025 Millennials, Gen Zs, Capitalism, Socialism, and Confusion
Spring 2025 Not Stolen: The Truth about European Colonialism in the New World
Spring 2025 Green Breakdown: The Coming Renewable Energy Failure
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