Progression is achieved through karma, though points now seem to be awarded more in line with the actual Buddhist concept. In the early games, karma was handed out for kills and domination in battle. Now, you're more likely to gain upgrades by helping out your fellow lowlifes in the slums - retrieving blankets for the homeless, rescuing hapless young men from brutal torture, and so on.
This inevitably reduces your options when it comes to how you choose to present your character - there are colder, more ruthless dialogue options and you can skip optional objectives, but it's always clear that in doing so you miss out on useful stuff. Given the morally murky nature of Shadowrun's world, gently forcing the player to wear a white hat feels a little strange.