moderates

Moderates are individuals or political groups characterized by a preference for middle-ground positions and pragmatic policymaking, avoiding extremes of ideology. They favor solutions likely to attract broad support, and they often prefer incremental reform over rapid, sweeping change.

In political contexts, moderates seek balance among competing interests, emphasize consensus-building, and rely on evidence and pragmatic assessments of policy trade-offs. They may support a mix of market-oriented and welfare-oriented approaches depending on the issue and country.

Moderates are not a uniform bloc. On different issues a person labeled moderate may align with different sides; moderation is a stance rather than a fixed platform, and it can shift with public opinion, experience, or party strategy.

Practices and strategies: moderates work through coalition-building, negotiation, and prioritization of feasible reforms. They may emphasize bipartisan or cross-partisan dialogue and policy processes that incorporate expert input and empirical data.

Criticism and debate: Critics argue that moderation can slow or dilute needed reforms or absolve extremism by depriving it of opponents. Defenders counter that moderation reduces polarization, enhances stability, builds legitimacy, and improves policy durability.

Usage: The term is applied across systems and eras. Some democracies have explicit centrist or moderate parties, while in more polarized environments moderation may exist within mainstream parties or among individual lawmakers who seek compromise.