what is government

what is government

Understanding the Role and Function of Government

1. Introduction to Government

These functions are: ensuring national security, maintaining order, resolving conflict, providing services, and providing for the public good. Ensuring national security and maintaining order help to protect citizens from those inside and outside of their country who would cause harm. Creating services provides citizens with information and assistance as they take care of their day-to-day needs. Finally, providing for the public good means making decisions that will benefit society as a whole, often putting the good of the community above the good of the individuals in that community. With some variation, this basic idea the government will provide for society as a whole is present in all forms of government throughout the world.

Over time, a large and complex structure of government has developed with the primary purpose to establish and enforce regulations that help a society run smoothly. To help meet the needs of the citizens they govern, governments introduce and implement laws, among other practices. A law is a rule; it is made by the government. Laws are enforced by the police and punish people who do not follow the law. All of our federal, state, and local governments, no matter the form, have a number of functions they must carry out to ensure order. The basic functions of governments are the ones generally held responsible.

2. Theoretical Foundations of Government

The theoretical analysis of the Constitution suggests that income maintenance of the redistribution function of government may be wasteful, and there are other reasons for believing that it may result in a problem of the size of governments. This negative view of the functioning of political institutions in their redistributive mode is consistent with the popular perception that the public sector tends to operate less efficiently than do comparable private sector activities. It is also consistent with the view of markets as a generally efficient allocation mechanism that is occasionally subject to failure and the role of government as a protector of the weaker elements in society.

As of the end of the twentieth century, there were about 25 sovereign states in the world. These can be divided into two groups: those with limited natural resources and those with abundant natural resources. An analysis of the extent to which the size of government can be explained by the resources of the state leads to the rejection of the class of models with the most general assumptions. This suggests that the explanation for the size of governments goes beyond simple interest group politics. The empirical evidence supports models that place limits on the ability of the government to extract surplus. There is a great deal of empirical evidence that shows that people have strong preferences for redistribution.

3. Structures and Functions of Government

The Judiciary is vested with the powers to interpret, apply and enforce the laws of the nation. If disputes arise in the course of the enforcement of the law, the Judiciary provides the final settlement in the case. Consequently, the Supreme Judiciary is vested with independent and impartial powers which give the Judiciary the authority to criticize the government actions and protect the rights and liberties of the citizen.

The Executive implements the public policies of the government and is responsible and accountable for the day-to-day running of the government through the various ministries and departments. The Executive is headed by the President, Prime Minister or Head of State who is vested with the required executive powers. These powers are delegated or assigned to the various senior and junior members of the Executive, all responsible for the implementation of the policies of the government.

The Legislature is the supreme law-making body responsible for the very important function of making public policies. It approves, disapproves or makes other decisions on public bills and resolutions and converts them into laws if there is consent with the other two wings of government. It has the unique function of representing the people and with this, the power held by the Legislature influences the effectiveness and efficiency of government.

The major functions of a government are to maintain, develop and control the affairs of the nation. These functions are set up to be performed by the three important elements of government: the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary. They are called the three wings of the government.

4. Government’s Impact on Society and Individuals

How does your government look as an impacting body? With what source of economic, social, or legal authority does the government of your society have to act? From the leadership to the bureaucracy, what aspects or powers of your government control what actions? Currently, how does your government actually impact its community? What impact might it have in the future? What responsibilities do you have about either it or its continuity?

Each society is governed by some kind of authority – a government – in order to manage its community’s people and regulate the society’s collective activities. A government’s level of control over its governance correlates with the general health or vitality of its subjects. It is next to impossible to state one single role or function for government that will apply to all societies at all times. This is because every community or society is built with a unique mixture of economic, social, and legal systems and must have its form of systematic renewal, growth, and maintenance to change or deal with unexpected difficulties. It is, however, possible to identify a root of governance, or a basic starting point for the origin of government roles and functions, and to uncover commonalities that can be found about most, if not all, governments and their effects on society.

5. Challenges and Opportunities for Modern Governments

Challenges and Opportunities for Modern Governments In many ways, the situation and conditions of government functioning today have changed drastically compared with those in earlier periods such as the immediate post-World War II period. Moreover, change is almost permanent. Constantly, researchers, advisors, and public officials are confronted with new issues and problems for which they must urgently find solutions. This is particularly true during periods of upheaval or great political, cultural, or economic change. Chaotic economic and financial developments at home and abroad have had severe effects on the situation and management of public spending. The combination of the rise of the information society, the aging of the population, and the rise of international terrorism has radically changed the political, economic, and social environment in many countries. Unemployment has increased as a general major problem. The problem or challenge of the environment and sustainability is high on the international political agenda. Innovation, structural changes, and efficiency become watchwords for both the government itself and the organizations and activities in which the latter has a (direct or indirect) interest. Governments have to make enormous efforts just to meet their own goals. They must put their own affairs in order and propose clear and realistic analyses and political solutions with a future perspective. They must explain their policy and encourage the process of structural, cultural, or other changes. They will get more support from the issue societies if they can get their message across in an understandable way. These goals cannot be reached without a great deal of political entrepreneurship and the costly establishment of new political dynamics.

A Changing World

Governments, political parties, and public officials often come under criticism for the way they carry out their public duties. In particular, they are often accused of poor performance, bad management, superficiality, slowness, and poor judgment. Ministers, MPs, officials, and other public figures are often regarded as unresponsive, unaccountable, arrogant, and out of touch. The services provided by the public sector are deemed unsatisfactory, and there is frequently dissatisfaction with the answers given to serious collective problems such as unemployment.

Introduction