Social liberalism

Social liberalism (new liberalism), a development of liberalism in the late 19th and early 20th century, is a label used by progressive liberal parties in order to differentiate themselves from market liberal parties, especially when there are two or more liberal parties in a country. Additionally, it also means social progressivism, usually when contrasted with social conservatism.

Social liberalism is a political philosophy that emphasizes mutual collaboration through liberal institutions, rather than the threat and use of force, to solve political controversies. Social liberalism, as a branch of liberalism, contends that society must protect liberty and opportunity for all citizens, and advocates some restrictions on economic competition, such as anti-trust laws and price controls on wages ("minimum wage laws.") It also expects governments to provide a basic level of welfare, supported by taxation, intended to enable the best use of the talents of the population, to prevent revolution, or simply "for the public good."

Rejecting both radical capitalism and the revolutionary elements from the socialist school, modern liberalism emphasized positive liberty, seeking to enhance the freedoms of the poor and disadvantaged in society.

Social liberalism, also called new liberalism, is very different from the ambiguous term neoliberalism, a name given to various proponents of the free markets and also to some conservative opponents of free markets, such as mercantilistic conservatives, in the late 20th century's global economy. Neoliberalism has been used to describe the policies of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, since it advocates positions contrary to many of those taken by social liberals. The use of the term social or "new liberal" has fallen out of favor in recent years.

Social Liberal Thinkers

Some notable social liberal thinkers are:

• Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859)
• John Stuart Mill (1806–1873)
• Thomas Hill Green (1836–1882)
• Lujo Brentano (1844–1931)
• Pieter Cort van der Linden (1846-1935)
• John Atkinson Hobson (1858–1940)
• John Dewey (1859–1952)
• Friedrich Naumann (1860–1919)
• Leonard Trelawny Hobhouse (1864–1929)
• John Maynard Keynes (1883–1946)
• Bertil Ohlin (1899–1979)
• John Hicks (1904–1989)
• Norberto Bobbio (1909-2004)
• Miguel Reale (1910– )
• John Rawls (1921-2002)
• Karl-Hermann Flach (1929–1973)
• Richard Rorty (1931– )
• Ronald Dworkin (1931– )
• José G. Merquior (1941–1991)
• Dirk Verhofstadt (1955– )

For more context, see Liberalism.