What Is Progressive Liberalism?
Progressive liberalism combines liberal democracy and individual rights with an active government that pursues social reform, regulation of business and greater equality. Part of the Liberal family.
Definition
Progressive liberalism combines liberal democracy and individual rights with an active government that pursues social reform, regulation of business and greater equality.
Atlas definition: written by The Ideology Atlas. Writers and movements define ideologies in different ways; this is a short working definition. Further reading: Wikipedia: Progressivism.
Core ideas
- Social reform through government action.
- Regulation of corporate power.
- Expansion of civil rights.
Origins
Progressive movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Core ideas, origins and thinkers: Atlas summary.
Where Progressive Liberalism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 48 | near the center | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 7 | strongly toward progressive | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 25 | toward libertarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 18 | toward cosmopolitan | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 48 | near the center |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 56 | near the center |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 37 | near the center |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 18 | toward cosmopolitan |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 7 | strongly toward progressive |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 13 | strongly toward democratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 21 | toward egalitarian |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 65 | near the center |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 48 | near the center |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 9 | strongly toward secular state |
These positions are estimates on the Atlas’s nine-dimension scale, produced by running the tradition’s core principles through the same questions and scoring used for test-takers. They are interpretations for comparison, not objective measurements. How scores are made.
Estimated positions on key questions
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Religious doctrine should take precedence over civil law when they conflict. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| People should be free to criticize the government without fear of legal punishment. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Preserving a historic national majority is a legitimate immigration objective. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Same-sex couples should have the same right to marry as opposite-sex couples. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Society works best when established social hierarchies are respected. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Central economic planning is preferable to decentralized market decisions. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Non-intervention should be the default even when allies request military assistance. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Environmental regulations on business should be reduced to boost economic growth. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Social Liberalism, Progressive Liberalism sits 8 points further toward progressive on the social dimension.
- Compared with Modern Liberalism, Progressive Liberalism sits 12 points further toward progressive on the social dimension.
- Compared with Social Democracy, Progressive Liberalism sits 16 points further toward progressive on the social dimension.
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with Progressive Liberalism.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Progressivism
- Wikipedia: Progressive Liberalism (Wikipedia search)
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Liberalism
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.