Social liberalism
Social liberalism[a] (German: Sozialliberalismus, Spanish: socioliberalismo, Dutch: Sociaalliberalisme) is a political philosophy and variety of liberalism that endorses social justice, social services, a mixed economy, and the expansion of civil and political rights, as opposed to classical liberalism which supports unregulated laissez-faire capitalism with very few government services.
"Social liberals" redirects here. For the Austrian political party, see The Social Liberals.
Economically, it is based on the social market economy and views the common good as harmonious with the individual's freedom.[9] Social liberals overlap with social democrats in accepting market intervention more than other liberals;[10] its importance is considered auxiliary compared to social democrats.[11] Ideologies that emphasize its economic policy include welfare liberalism,[12] New Deal liberalism and New Democrats in the United States,[13] and Keynesian liberalism.[14] Cultural liberalism is an ideology that highlights its cultural aspects. The world has widely adopted social liberal policies.[15]
Social liberal ideas and parties tend to be considered centre to centre-left, although there are deviations from these positions to both the political left or right.[b][10][16][17] Addressing economic and social issues, such as poverty, welfare, infrastructure, health care and education using government intervention, while emphasising individual rights and autonomy, are expectations under a social liberal government.[18][19][20] In modern political discourse, social liberalism is associated with progressivism,[21][22][23] a left-liberalism contrasted to the right-leaning neoliberalism,[24] and combines support for a mixed economy with cultural liberalism.[25]
Social liberalism may also refer to American progressive stances on sociocultural issues,[26] such as reproductive rights and same-sex marriage, in contrast with American social conservatism. Cultural liberalism is often referred to as social liberalism because it expresses the social dimension of liberalism; however, it is not the same as the broader political ideology known as social liberalism. In American politics, a social liberal may hold either conservative (economic liberal) or liberal (economic progressive) views on fiscal policy.[27]
Decline[edit]
Following economic problems in the 1960s and 1970s, liberal thought underwent some transformation. Keynesian financial management faced criticism for interfering with the free market. At the same time, increased welfare spending funded by higher taxes prompted fears of lower investment, lower consumer spending, and the creation of a "dependency culture." Trade unions often caused high wages and industrial disruption, while total employment was considered unsustainable. Writers such as Milton Friedman and Samuel Brittan, whom Friedrich Hayek influenced, advocated a reversal of social liberalism. Their policies—often called neoliberalism—had a significant influence on Western politics, most notably on the governments of United Kingdom Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the United States President Ronald Reagan. They pursued policies of deregulation of the economy and reduction in spending on social services.[15]
Part of the reason for the collapse of the social liberal coalition was a challenge in the 1960s and 1970s from financial interests that could operate independently of national governments. A related reason was the comparison of ideas such as socialized medicine, advocated by politicians such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, facing criticisms and being dubbed as socialist by conservatives during the midst of the Red Scare, notably by the previously mentioned Reagan.[70] Another cause was the decline of organized labour which had formed part of the coalition but was also a support for left-wing ideologies challenging the liberal consensus. Related to this were the downfall of working-class consciousness and the growth of the middle class. The push by the United States and the United Kingdom, which had been least accepting of social liberalism for trade liberalization, further eroded support.[71]
Contemporary revival of social liberal thought[edit]
From the end of the 20th century, at the same time that it was losing political influence, social liberalism experienced an intellectual revival with several substantial authors, including John Rawls (political philosophy), Amartya Sen (philosophy and economy), Ronald Dworkin (philosophy of law), Martha Nussbaum (philosophy), Bruce Ackerman (constitutional law), and others.[72]