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Why did John Dewey support strong regulatory powers in a social democracy?

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John Dewey, an older man with glasses and a mustache, sits and reads a document, wearing a suit and tie. — John Dewey John Dewey.

John Dewey supported strong regulatory powers in a social democracy because he believed that individuals cannot develop to their fullest potential outside of such a framework.1

For Dewey, democracy was not merely a form of government but a "mode of associated life" that required active social planning and collective action to address common problems. He argued that a welfare-state environment was necessary to ensure the conditions for human flourishing. By advocating for regulatory authority, Dewey sought to create a system where social institutions could be guided by "social intelligence"—a collaborative, experimental process where citizens work together to identify and resolve issues that affect their common life.12

Furthermore, his support for these powers was rooted in his belief that democracy must be an active process of promoting human interests, which included ensuring that workers had the right to participate directly in the control of the firms where they were employed.1