Modern liberals claim that formal or official guarantees of individual rights are irrelevant when individuals lack the material means to benefit from those rights and call for a greater role for government in the administration of economic affairs.
Ta moč se lahko oblikujejo v okviru civilne družbe, ki omogoča posameznikom, da naredijo prostovoljno družbeno pogodbo s suvereno oblastjo, ki prenaša svoje Naravne pravice v ta organ v zameno za varovanje življenja, svobode in lastnine.