What Is Social Liberalism?

Social liberalism is a political philosophy that endorses a mixed economy, social justice and civil rights. It is one of many forms of liberalism that is derived from classical liberalism. 

In this guide, we will discuss social liberalism and how it shows up in our political spaces. Social liberalism can be present in our policies, our economy and how people choose to engage with social justice. Additionally, our political parties do not all look to social liberalism as a guiding political philosophy and it is important to shed some light on that as well.

Social Liberalism vs. Social Conservatism

Perhaps the easiest way to understand social liberalism is to contrast it with its opposite, social conservatism. Here is how the two philosophies differ on four major points:

Market Intervention

• Social Liberalism: Supports the idea that continual government oversight is necessary to avoid market crises

• Social Conservatism: Supports the idea that the government should only intervene in  market happenings in times of emergency

Economic Policies

• Social Liberalism: Affirms that we need a mixed economy and the government should financially support its citizens via public goods

• Social Conservatism: Affirms that government should be small and all ownership should be private.

Social Justice

• Social Liberalism: Believes in social justice and social services to propel society forward

• Social Conservatism: Believes in preserving conservative and traditional values as a means of propelling society forward

Civil Rights

• Social Liberalism: Values civil rights and liberty equally by supporting initiatives that aim to create social equality

• Social Conservatism: Values civil rights but wants to prioritize liberty and traditionalism

Being Socially Liberal and Fiscally Conservative

It is not uncommon to hear someone describe themselves as “socially liberal and fiscally conservative” but not everyone understands what these terms together (or separately) mean. Essentially, to be socially liberal and fiscally conservative means that you believe everyone should have the same rights and opportunities, but it is not the government's job to financially contribute to ensuring those rights stay the same.

Social liberalism signals that a person believes in the equality of people and the protection of civil rights. Social liberalism also aligns itself with a mixed economy. This is where we begin to see fiscal conservatism come in.  Individuals who see themselves as fiscally conservative want to pursue policy options that limit government spending on welfare programs and public goods. Fiscal conservatives also encourage the privatization of public goods to aid in lowering government spending. 

Critiques of Being Socially Liberal and Fiscally Conservative

In recent years, several journalists and academics have written extensively about how they believe this feels oxymoronic in nature. Several groups of thought are involved in this conversation, but they do not all critique this political identity with the same concerns. These critiques expand from concerns about marginalized populations to inconsistent funding priorities. However, the two main criticisms are that fiscal conservatism is not cheap, and that it may not even be possible beyond theory.

Critique #1: Is It Even Possible to be Socially Liberal and Fiscally Conservative?

Some believe that if you are socially liberal, then that requires policies that aid in fiscal liberalism. This comes up frequently in conversations around social justice and civil rights. On the other hand, some believe that if you are fiscally conservative, then you are not moved to want to fund public projects that aid in social well-being for all members of our society. 

Critique #2: Is Fiscal Conservatism Cheap?

On some issues, particularly those often categorized as socially liberal, holding back fiscally can prove to be a costly mistake. 

For example, not addressing climate change with more resources is causing the world $16 million an hour. By 2050, climate change will cost trillions of dollars a year to address globally. However, scientists believe it would likely be cheaper in the long run if we addressed this issue directly and with the help of ambitious financial resources. As detailed in an annual report, a group of climate organizations found that even now, banks financing the expansion of nonrenewable energies have proven to be incredibly expensive for private banks (many of whom have needed our government to bail them out in the past). 

By not passing policies that help expand the middle class, statistics show that we have successfully shrunk it. This means that American policy choices from the last 50 years may have made it more difficult for the middle of America to thrive in our current economy. Lack of income is currently cited as a reason for working additional jobs, delaying family planning, and struggling to afford homeownership. Policies that stopped the support of working-class people since the 1970s have aided in the public desire for home ownership assistance programs, rent caps and raising the minimum wage. In this instance, individuals believe that the fiscal conservatism of the past is responsible for the lack of stability Americans are experiencing currently. And that current fiscal conservatism is prolonging our ability to address this once and for all. 

Unfortunately, we have saved some money by ignoring renovating America's infrastructure. Even more unfortunately, our now horrible infrastructure is widely regarded as a threat to public safety because of how lucrative it was financially to ignore. While fiscal conservatism was never meant to be an excuse to ignore necessary spending, in some cases, that is what it has become. The American Society of Civil Engineers rates much of America's current infrastructure as a D (and that includes public schools). This structural issue – no pun intended – has grown to be an urgent national concern because of the many years we did not fund infrastructure projects that felt excessive on already tight budgets.

Social Liberalism vs. Other Political Philosophies 

Social Liberalism vs. Economic Liberalism

Economic liberalism prioritizes states' rights while also encouraging free market trade with little government interference. Adam Smith is commonly referenced as one of the first to write extensively on economic liberalism. 

Economic liberalism supports policies that limit government intervention, oppose government regulation of industries, and oppose public ownership of goods. The only time economic liberalism permits government interference is when the market is in crisis. In order to prevent crises and maintain a healthy economy, Social liberalism encourages the market to thrive with public and private businesses but does not see markets as entirely self-regulating. Social liberalism also believes that government regulation of industries can be necessary to protect citizens.

Social Liberalism vs. Classical Liberalism

Classical liberalism predates social liberalism and is more concerned with individual rights, limited government intervention, free speech and property rights. The Father of classical liberalism is commonly known as John Locke, but other major classical liberalism contributors are Immanuel Kant, Jean-Baptiste Say and David Ricardo. 

When comparing classical liberalism and social liberalism, what makes them so different is the expectation of government presence. For classical liberals, this is commonly referred to as negative liberty, which is also referred to as freedom from government interference. For example, a negative liberty would be freedom of speech or religion. On the other hand are positive freedoms, which are commonly seen as freedom from hunger or freedom to go to school. As classical liberals expect limited government responsibility, social liberals believe that the government should take responsibility for the social welfare of its people. Classical liberals believe that this sort of government intervention infringes on the individual rights of some people to ensure the comfort and access of another. 

Social Liberalism vs. Social Democracy

Social democracy is the application of socialist theory within a capitalist framework. It gets a lot of its theoretical framework from many different political theorists. Some of the most common are August Bebel, Eduard Bernstein, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. 

In many cases, socialism is seen as the umbrella, with social democracy falling underneath it; however, social democrats do not advocate moving from a capitalist to a socialist economy. These two political philosophies have a lot in common when discussing social welfare and, at a glance, could appear to be the same, but there are some key differences between social liberals and social democrats. Social democracy encourages more state ownership while maintaining a capitalist economic system.  Social liberalism is still very keen on individual ownership, with some social welfare initiatives included to solve any inequalities. Social liberalism is also focused on maintaining the individual liberties identified in the social contract and other foundational literature that still advocates for some restrictions on government market intervention. Additionally, an economy rooted in social liberalism has the capacity to grow the economy with more capital. 

Critiques of Social Liberalism

Social liberalism, like any political ideology, is not without criticism. Economically, social liberalism is critiqued for its amount of sporadic government spending and the amount of high taxes that will cost the American economy. This concern is especially significant as the government debt seems to rise with no end in sight. These policy matters are also tough to enact against bureaucratic inefficiency, lack of practical approaches and solutions and limited personal freedoms. Some additional concerns, specifically from social conservatives, are that people will become dependent on welfare programs, will feel less motivated to work hard, and generally will not be self-reliant. 

Social Liberalism in American Politics

Social Liberalism and the Green Party

The Green Party in the United States is largely known for its left-wing values and advocacy for policies such as Medicare of All, Climate Action Policies, Ending the War on Drugs, and more Green Energy Jobs. The Green Party rejects capitalism as a viable economic solution and because of this, they also don’t align themselves with social democracy. This, however, does not mean they are in support of socialism, as they also have denounced state-sponsored socialism as a viable alternative. They utilize their 10 Key Values to help steer the party toward comprehensive and party-aligned policy. The Green Party best aligns itself with Eco-socialism, which prioritizes the environment and policies that support communalism. Communalism is an ideology that supports the sharing of resources, governance, wealth and property. Ultimately, because of its operation outside of capitalism and its intense advocacy for social welfare, the Green Party exceeds the positions of social liberalism.

Social Liberalism and the Libertarian Party

The Libertarian Party in the United States believes that the government should not have the power to intervene in the free market or infringe on the rights of its citizens. The Libertarian Party supports policies like abolishing the income tax, as they believe all taxation is theft. Libertarians have policies that advocate for opening the borders to peaceful people, maintaining the right to bear arms, equal marriage rights, and ending the war on drugs. In short, Libertarians believe that people should be able to do whatever they want as long as they are not relying on someone else's tax dollars to pay for it. While the party aligns with many aspects of social liberalism, it does not align with a mixed economy. Because the Libertarian Party advocates for very little government and no government intervention, this is a key piece where the party strays from the philosophy of social liberalism.

Social Liberalism and the Republican Party

The Republican Party is arguably the least aligned with social liberalism. The Republican Party supports policies such as the Second Amendment right to bear arms, the halting of marriage equality, are against many social welfare policies. Additionally, they are against much of what can be summed up as social justice. However, Republicans do support small government in theory, but some argue their policies encourage significant government intervention into the personal lives of citizens. Due to their lack of policy stance for government intervention in the free market, Republicans do not align themselves with most if not all of the principles of social liberalism. However, they align with a lot of the framework of social conservatism. social conservatism currently, is the highest it has been in roughly a decade.  This is the opposite of social liberalism, as it does not support government intervention, social justice or welfare programs.

Social Liberalism and the Democratic Party

The Democratic Party in the United States aligns most closely with social liberalism. Democrats often advocate for government and free market enterprise to work together to address the public's needs. They also advocate for policies such as free and reduced school lunches, housing vouchers, and government financial assistance for small businesses. While advocating for government intervention in the market, these sorts of policies are intimately linked to social liberalism. 

Ultimately, regarding all the political parties mentioned above, there is room for members of these parties to identify with or dismiss some or all of these values or beliefs. People are not a monolith, and it is good for there to be discourse, variability and change in position within and across party lines. 

Get Involved in American Politics

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