What Is a Government?
A government is a group of people that have the power to rule in an area. Governments may be national or regional, democratic, parliamentary, presidential, federal or unitary. Governments make laws, rules and regulations, collect taxes, print money, enforce justice and protect citizens. They also provide public services such as roads, schools and hospitals and manage natural resources. Governments preserve themselves against external as well as internal threats by maintaining armed forces and intelligence agencies. They also try to prevent the entry of foreign agents, imprison spies or terrorists and embargo exports that might aid an enemy.
A main function of governments is to regulate the economy. They can do this in a variety of ways:
In a free-market economy, governments often regulate by setting prices, limiting the size of businesses and imposing tax rates on incomes and goods and services. They can also set standards for the quality of a product, define property rights and subsidize some goods that are not economically viable. Governments can also redistribute income by spending money on programs such as unemployment benefits and social security.
Throughout history, governments have evolved to fulfill different functions. Sometimes they have taken care of people, while other times they have made the rules and laws. Governments are essential for a society because they establish the parameters for everyday behavior and protect citizens from outside interference.
The most important part of a government is its lawmaking power, which is embodied in its legislative branch, judicial branch and executive branch. The legislative branch is responsible for drafting laws and making changes to existing ones. It is composed of members elected by the citizens to represent them in local, state and federal councils. The judicial branch is composed of judges nominated by the President and approved by the Senate. The executive branch is headed by a President and consists of the Vice President, heads of executive departments and other high-ranking officials.
To govern, a government must have money, and it gets that money by charging fees for its services and collecting taxes. Governments typically have a budget that sets out their goals for the fiscal year and outlines how they plan to spend their money. Governments can also borrow money by selling securities called bonds, in which investors loan the government money for a fixed period of time and receive interest payments in return.
Governments consume many different goods and services, including food, clothing, housing and transportation. They can raise funds to pay for these things by charging taxes or borrowing money. They can also redistribute wealth by paying out benefits such as unemployment and social security. They can even use the monetary system to control inflation and interest rates. This is known as macroeconomic regulation. Governments can also microeconomically regulate specific industries by regulating prices, restricting supply or demand, and reducing competition. There are several different approaches to this type of regulation, and each has its own strengths and weaknesses.