← earlier
+4 pointsElections and Transfers of Power
Competitive national elections and accepted succession remained routine.
Historical review · Sources available
1988 review
Relative Institutional Stability
Competitive elections and peaceful succession operated during the late Cold War amid comparatively strong institutional continuity.
Constitutional health77/100
Clock reading7:25 PM
StatusGuarded Constitutional Stress
What 7:25 PM means: Competitive elections, broad civil liberty, and low political violence place the clock at its earliest modern point in this sampled series.
What moved the clock
What changed from the previous review?
Compared with 1978 (Recovery), the weighted score moved 6 points healthier.
← earlier
+6 pointsPeaceful Politics
Political competition was overwhelmingly nonviolent.
← earlier
+8 pointsIndividual Rights
Core speech, association, and due-process protections were broadly functional, though unequal in practice.
← earlier
+12 pointsTrust in Institutions
Institutions retained comparatively stronger acceptance than in later polarized periods.
Eight measures
How the score breaks down
The same weights are used for every period. You can question any measure on its own.
0115% of total
Limits on Government Power
Could the Constitution still place real limits on government power?
75/ 100
↑ 7 since the previous reviewAdds 11.25 points to the total · ↑ 7 since the previous review
Why this score?
Why it was scored this way. Could the Constitution still place real limits on government power?
Confidence. Historical facts: Moderate; numerical score: Limited. See the full review and sources below.
0212.5% of total
Checks and Balances
Could Congress, the president, and the courts still check one another?
75/ 100
↑ 3 since the previous reviewAdds 9.38 points to the total · ↑ 3 since the previous review
Why this score?
Why it was scored this way. Could Congress, the president, and the courts still check one another?
Confidence. Historical facts: Moderate; numerical score: Limited. See the full review and sources below.
0315% of total
Elections and Transfers of Power
Competitive national elections and accepted succession remained routine.
80/ 100
↑ 4 since the previous reviewAdds 12.0 points to the total · ↑ 4 since the previous review
Why this score?
Why it was scored this way. Competitive national elections and accepted succession remained routine.
Confidence. Historical facts: Moderate; numerical score: Limited. See the full review and sources below.
0415% of total
Rule of Law
Did the law apply through stable courts and institutions instead of personal or arbitrary power?
75/ 100
↑ 3 since the previous reviewAdds 11.25 points to the total · ↑ 3 since the previous review
Why this score?
Why it was scored this way. Did the law apply through stable courts and institutions instead of personal or arbitrary power?
Confidence. Historical facts: Moderate; numerical score: Limited. See the full review and sources below.
0515% of total
Individual Rights
Core speech, association, and due-process protections were broadly functional, though unequal in practice.
78/ 100
↑ 8 since the previous reviewAdds 11.7 points to the total · ↑ 8 since the previous review
Why this score?
Why it was scored this way. Core speech, association, and due-process protections were broadly functional, though unequal in practice.
Confidence. Historical facts: Moderate; numerical score: Limited. See the full review and sources below.
0610% of total
Federal and State Balance
Did federal and state governments keep meaningful authority within their roles?
75/ 100
↑ 5 since the previous reviewAdds 7.5 points to the total · ↑ 5 since the previous review
Why this score?
Why it was scored this way. Did federal and state governments keep meaningful authority within their roles?
Confidence. Historical facts: Moderate; numerical score: Limited. See the full review and sources below.
077.5% of total
Trust in Institutions
Institutions retained comparatively stronger acceptance than in later polarized periods.
70/ 100
↑ 12 since the previous reviewAdds 5.25 points to the total · ↑ 12 since the previous review
Why this score?
Why it was scored this way. Institutions retained comparatively stronger acceptance than in later polarized periods.
Confidence. Historical facts: Moderate; numerical score: Limited. See the full review and sources below.
0810% of total
Peaceful Politics
Political competition was overwhelmingly nonviolent.
82/ 100
↑ 6 since the previous reviewAdds 8.2 points to the total · ↑ 6 since the previous review
Why this score?
Why it was scored this way. Political competition was overwhelmingly nonviolent.
Confidence. Historical facts: Moderate; numerical score: Limited. See the full review and sources below.
Different questions
The clock does not predict major change or civil conflict
A different question
Major change to the system
Could the country's basic governing rules change? This is different from armed conflict.
This needs its own scoring guide. The clock score cannot answer it.
A different question
Organized political violence
Could political violence become organized and sustained? The clock is not a prediction of civil war.
This needs its own scoring guide. The clock score cannot answer it.
Why this matters
Why this moment matters
Relatively stable periods offer a comparison point for understanding constitutional resilience.
Similar moments in history
Evidence review
Late Cold War comparison window · 1985–1989
- Evidence confidence
- Moderate
- Score confidence
- Limited
Peaceful elections and continued government are clear. But this is a broad period, not one event, and later history may make it look more important than it seemed at the time.
Findings
- Competitive national elections and accepted transfers remained routine.
- Political competition was overwhelmingly peaceful at the national level.
- Core civil liberties were broadly enforceable, while unequal treatment and institutional failures persisted.
Evidence pointing the other way
This comparison point should not be read as a constitutional golden age; the record includes Iran-Contra, unequal justice, and unresolved rights deficits.
Check the sources
Sources
These links support the facts used here. Their publishers did not create or approve the score.