Social democracy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Social democracy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Views of social democrats today

In general, contemporary social democrats support:

* A mixed economy consisting mainly of private enterprise, but with government owned or subsidised programs of education, healthcare, child care and related services for all citizens.
* Government bodies that regulate private enterprise in the 'interests' of workers, consumers and 'fair competition'.
* Advocacy of fair trade over free trade. # An extensive system of social security (although usually not to the extent advocated by democratic socialists or other socialist groups), with the stated goal of counteracting the effects of poverty and insuring the citizens against loss of income following illness, unemployment or retirement.
* Moderate to high levels of taxation (through a value-added and/or progressive taxation system) to fund government expenditure.
* Environmental protection laws (although not always to the extent advocated by Greens), such as combating global warming and increasing alternative energy funding. # Support for immigration and multiculturalism.
* A secular and progressive social policy, although this varies markedly in degree. Most social democrats support gay marriage and abortion rights.
* A foreign policy supporting the promotion of democracy, the protection of human rights and where possible, effective multilateralism.
* As well as human rights, social democrats also support social rights, civil rights and civil liberties."