Government is the institution that a society creates and uses to accomplish collective goals and provide benefits that the society as a whole needs. Governments around the world vary in size, structure and style of operation, but all are organized into distinct institutions that make up branches of government with particular powers, functions, duties and responsibilities. A typical government has three main branches: executive, legislative and judicial.
The primary purpose of a government is to protect the safety, security and welfare of its citizens. Governments achieve this by enforcing laws, providing services and infrastructure and protecting property. Governments are also responsible for regulating access to common goods such as public lands and wildlife. They do this by imposing limits on how many people may use each good at one time (excludable) and limiting how much can be used at any given time (rivalrous).
Another role of a government is to ensure that all its citizens receive basic necessities. These include free education, fire and police services and mail delivery. Governments also regulate access to natural resources by managing the allocation of limited resources like water and oil. This helps to ensure that all citizens have access to these things without overtaxing the resources and depleting them, or causing a shortage that would leave some people with less access than others.
Governments are a necessary part of any society, but they must be able to adapt and evolve as their role changes. Many factors influence how governments operate, the policies they develop and the areas they focus on. These factors include:
Political beliefs and ideologies, for example liberalism, conservatism or socialism, will affect the actions and priorities of a government. Economic conditions, such as high unemployment, a recession or inflation, will influence budget allocations and fiscal policy. The opinions and concerns of the public, expressed via polls, elections and protests, will impact governmental decisions and responses. World events – for example, globalisation, wars or pandemics – can have a major impact on the direction of government and its policies.
There are different types of government, ranging from a monarchy to a democracy. Each type of government has its own characteristics, but all are designed to meet the needs of a specific society and provide stability and essential services to its citizens. In a democracy, government is based on representation; this means that the citizens elect officials to make political decisions for them. These officials, called representatives, take input from their constituents and then form policies that will address the needs of the majority of the population. Representatives may also enact legislation to raise money for the government by imposing taxes on income, property and sales. This money is then used to fund programs and projects for the benefit of the citizens. At the local, state and federal levels, this includes funding for schools, police and fire departments, road maintenance, national parks and more. Local, state and national representatives are then responsible for ensuring that the money they have received is spent effectively.