Demokratični socializem je izraz v okviru politične filozofije socializma in politična opredelitev. Demokratični socialisti se zavzemajo za politično demokracijo in gospodarstvo v družbeni lastiBusky, Donald F. (20 July 2000). Democratic Socialism: A Global Survey. Praeger. pp. 7–8. s poudarkom na delavskem samoupravljanju in demokratičnem nadzoru gospodarskih institucij v okviru tržne ekonomije ali neke oblike decentraliziranega načrtovanega socialističnega gospodarstva.Anderson, Gary L.; Herr, Kathryn G. (2007). Encyclopedia of Activism and Social Justice. SAGE Publications. p. 448. . "Some have endorsed the concept of market socialism, a post-capitalist economy that retains market competition but socialises the means of production, and in some versions, extends democracy to the workplace. Some hold out for a non-market, participatory economy. All democratic socialists agree on the need for a democratic alternative to capitalism." Večina demokratičnih socialistov zagovarja postopen prehod k socializmu,Busky, Donald F. (20 July 2000). Democratic Socialism: A Global Survey. Praeger. pp. 10. . "The majority of democratic socialists are evolutionary socialists – seeking a very gradual transition to socialism, leaving most industries for the time being in the hands of private capitalists." a pojem idejno ne izključuje možnosti revolucionarne vzpostavitve socializma.Kurian, George Thomas; Alt, James E.; Chambers, Simone; Garrett, Geoffrey; Levi, Margaret; McClain Paula D. (12 October 2010). The Encyclopedia of Political Science Set. CQ Press. p. 401. . "Though some democratic socialists reject the revolutionary model and advocate a peaceful transformation to socialism carried out by democratic means, they also reject the social democratic view that capitalist societies can be successfully reformed through extensive state intervention within capitalism. In the view of democratic socialists, capitalism, based on the primacy of private property, generates inherent inequalities of wealth and power and a dominant egoism that are incompatible with the democratic values of freedom, equality, and solidarity. Only a socialist society can fully realise democratic practices. The internal conflicts within capitalism require a transition to socialism. Private property must be superseded by a form of collective ownership." Skupno družbeno lastništvo v demokratičnemu socializmu načeloma vključuje zgolj produkcijska sredstva in pomembno infrastrukturo, ne pa tudi osebne lastnine, prebivališč ali manjših podjetij.Sargent, Lyman Tower (2008). "The Principles of Democratic Socialism". Contemporary Political Ideologies: A Comparative Analysis (14th ed.). Wadsworth Publishing. p. 117. . "Democratic socialism can be characterised as follows:
Demokratični socializem zastopa demokratično politično ureditev in hkrati demokratično oz. skupinsko lastništvo in upravljanje gospodarstva oz. proizvodnje.Busky, Donald F. (20 July 2000). Democratic Socialism: A Global Survey. Praeger. pp. 7–8. Fraza demokratični socializem poudarja ideološko razliko z marksistično-leninistično različico socializma, ki jo mnogi obravnavajo kot nedemokratično oz. avtoritarno v praksi.Kurian, George Thomas; Alt, James E.; Chambers, Simone; Garrett, Geoffrey; Levi, Margaret; McClain Paula D. (12 October 2010). The Encyclopedia of Political Science Set. CQ Press. p. 401. . "Though some democratic socialists reject the revolutionary model and advocate a peaceful transformation to socialism carried out by democratic means, they also reject the social democratic view that capitalist societies can be successfully reformed through extensive state intervention within capitalism. In the view of democratic socialists, capitalism, based on the primacy of private property, generates inherent inequalities of wealth and power and a dominant egoism that are incompatible with the democratic values of freedom, equality, and solidarity. Only a socialist society can fully realise democratic practices. The internal conflicts within capitalism require a transition to socialism. Private property must be superseded by a form of collective ownership."Eatwell, Eoger; Wright, Anthony (1 March 1999). Contemporary Political Ideologies: Second Edition. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 80. . "So too with 'democratic socialism', a term coined by its adherents as an act of disassociation from the twentieth-century realities of undemocratic socialism [...] but also, at least in some modes, intended to reaffirm a commitment to system transformation rather than a merely meliorist social democracy."Busky, Donald F. (20 July 2000). Democratic Socialism: A Global Survey. Praeger. pp. 7–8. . "Sometimes simply called socialism, more often than not, the adjective democratic is added by democratic socialists to attempt to distinguish themselves from Communists who also call themselves socialists. All but communists, or more accurately, Marxist-Leninists, believe that modern-day communism is highly undemocratic and totalitarian in practice, and democratic socialists wish to emphasise by their name that they disagree strongly with the Marxist-Leninist brand of socialism."Prychito, David L. (31 July 2002). Markets, Planning, and Democracy: Essays After the Collapse of Communism. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 72. . "It is perhaps less clearly understood that advocates of democratic socialism (who are committed to socialism in the above sense but opposed to Stalinist-style command planning) advocate a decentralised socialism, whereby the planning process itself (the integration of all productive units into one huge organisation) would follow the workers' self-management principle." Demokratični socialisti nasprotujejo centraliziranemu in planskemu ekonomskemu sistemu ter zavračajo politično ureditev, uveljavljeno v Sovjetski zvezi in drugih marksistično-leninističnih državah v začetku 20. stoletja, saj jo smatrajo za avtoritarno. Demokratični socializem zavrača samooklicane socialistične države tako kot marksizem-leninizem in njegove izpeljave, kot sta npr. stalinizem in maoizem. Temeljne nazorske razlike med demokratičnim socializmom in socializmom v okviru marksizma-leninizma ponazarjata dihotomiji demokratičnost/avtoritarnost in revolucionarnost/reformističnost ter pomen aktivnega sodelovanja prebivalstva in skupin delovcev pri gospodarskemu odločanju pri demokratičnemu socializmu v nasprotju z nacionalizacijo in centraliziranemu gospodarskemu upravljanju (naj bo oblast demokratična ali ne) v okviru državnega socializma, značilnega za marksistično-leninistične ureditve.Hain, Peter (1995). Ayes to the Left. Lawrence and Wishart.Kurian, George Thomas; Alt, James E.; Chambers, Simone; Garrett, Geoffrey; Levi, Margaret; McClain Paula D. (12 October 2010). The Encyclopedia of Political Science Set. CQ Press. p. 401. . "Though some democratic socialists reject the revolutionary model and advocate a peaceful transformation to socialism carried out by democratic means, they also reject the social democratic view that capitalist societies can be successfully reformed through extensive state intervention within capitalism. In the view of democratic socialists, capitalism, based on the primacy of private property, generates inherent inequalities of wealth and power and a dominant egoism that are incompatible with the democratic values of freedom, equality, and solidarity. Only a socialist society can fully realise democratic practices. The internal conflicts within capitalism require a transition to socialism. Private property must be superseded by a form of collective ownership."Eatwell, Eoger; Wright, Anthony (1 March 1999). Contemporary Political Ideologies: Second Edition. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 80. . "So too with 'democratic socialism', a term coined by its adherents as an act of disassociation from the twentieth-century realities of undemocratic socialism [...] but also, at least in some modes, intended to reaffirm a commitment to system transformation rather than a merely meliorist social democracy."Busky, Donald F. (20 July 2000). Democratic Socialism: A Global Survey. Praeger. pp. 7–8. . "Sometimes simply called socialism, more often than not, the adjective democratic is added by democratic socialists to attempt to distinguish themselves from Communists who also call themselves socialists. All but communists, or more accurately, Marxist-Leninists, believe that modern-day communism is highly undemocratic and totalitarian in practice, and democratic socialists wish to emphasise by their name that they disagree strongly with the Marxist-Leninist brand of socialism."Prychito, David L. (31 July 2002). Markets, Planning, and Democracy: Essays After the Collapse of Communism. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 72. . "It is perhaps less clearly understood that advocates of democratic socialism (who are committed to socialism in the above sense but opposed to Stalinist-style command planning) advocate a decentralised socialism, whereby the planning process itself (the integration of all productive units into one huge organisation) would follow the workers' self-management principle."