A political orientation that seeks to reform institutions and expand social protections in light of modern conditions is progressivism. Progressives typically support regulation of markets, investment in public goods, and the removal of barriers based on race, gender, or other statuses.

The early twentieth-century Progressive movement in the United States targeted corruption, monopolies, and poor working conditions. Later progressive waves focused on civil rights, environmental protection, and social insurance. The label is used differently across countries, sometimes overlapping with social democracy or the broader left.

Progressives argue that deliberate policy can improve social outcomes and that tradition alone is an insufficient guide. Critics contend that progressive reforms can overreach, create dependency, or ignore unintended consequences. Electoral coalitions supporting progressive policies often combine urban professionals, minorities, and organized labor, though compositions shift over time.

Progressive politics measures success by the tangible improvement of living conditions and the broadening of effective rights.