Government

The system or group of people that governs an organised community, most commonly a state, is referred to as the "government." The fundamental parts of a government are the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, according to an expansive definition of the term "government."

The government serves not only as a mechanism for determining organisational policy but also as a means by which organisational policy can be enforced. In a lot of countries, the government has something like a constitution, which is a statement of the principles and ideas that guide how it runs the country. A state or community needs a government in order to be governed effectively.According to the definition provided by the Columbia Encyclopaedia, government is “a system of social control in which the right to create laws, as well as the right to enforce them, is vested in a certain group in society.”

Functioning of government

In nations that operate under a command economy, the government is charged with a broad spectrum of responsibilities regarding a variety of aspects of economic behaviour. Businesses and industries are either owned or regulated by the government in nations that adhere to the social democratic model.

The historical steps that led to governments being able to perform their modern functions make for an interesting study in and of themselves. The ancient polis was responsible for the all-encompassing regulation of the ends of human existence as part of its scope of authority. According to Aristotle’s interpretation, anything that the government did not specifically order to be done was unlawful.However, when the world of feudalism succeeded the Roman Empire, one of the first objects of political authority was the enforcement of the religious sanctions. In British English, the word “government” is frequently used to refer to what is known as a “administration” in American English. This refers to the policies that are implemented and the government officials that are appointed by a particular executive or governing coalition. In American English, the term “administration” is more commonly used.

Forms of government by power structure:

Anarchy

There are no rules or regulations.

It is a structure that strives for non-hierarchical, voluntary associations among agents, and it is sometimes referred to as non-governance.

When an established state in a country has been destroyed and the region is in a transitional period without definitive leadership, this can be a natural and temporary result of the civil war that is raging in that country. Alternatively, it has been advocated as a workable option for the long term by a group of people known as anarchists. These individuals are opposed to the state as well as other types of coercive hierarchies.

Confederation

A confederation is a union of sovereign states that are united for the purposes of common action, most frequently in relation to other states. Confederations are also known as confederacies and leagues. These confederations are typically created by means of a treaty. The term “intergovernmentalism” refers to “any type of engagement between states that takes place on the basis of sovereign independence or government.” Confederation is a primary example of intergovernmentalism, which is defined as “any form of connection between states.” The Confederation functions very similarly to a Federation, with the Federal Government functioning as a merger or alliance of all of the individual states.

Unitary state

A unitary state is a state that is governed as a single power, in which the central government is ultimately supreme, and any administrative divisions (sub-national units) exercise only the powers that the central government chooses to delegate to them. This type of state is also known as a single-power state. 165 of the 193 states that are members of the United Nations have a unitary form of government.

Federation

A federation, also known as a federal state, is a type of political organisation that is defined by a union of largely self-governing states or regions that are governed by a central (federal) authority. This type of political entity is known as a federal state. This means that the self-governing status of the component states, as well as the division of power, cannot be altered by a decision made unilaterally by either party, the states, or the federal political body.

Forms of government by power source:

Autocracy

An autocracy is a form of government in which the supreme power (both social and political) is held by a single person or polity. The decisions of this person or polity are not subject to any external legal restraints or regularised mechanisms of popular control (with the possible exception of the implicit threat of a coup d’état or mass insurrection). The most common types of autocracy in today’s world include dictatorships and absolute monarchies, such as those found in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Brunei, and Eswatini. North Korea is also included in this category.

Democracy

Democracy, which literally translates to “rule of the people,” is a form of government in which the citizens either exercise power directly or elect representatives from among themselves to form a governing body, such as a parliament. The phrase “rule of the majority” is used to describe democracy rather frequently. A democracy is a method of resolving disputes in which the outcomes are contingent on the actions taken by the participants, but in which no single force has control over what takes place or its consequences. This does involve the ability for residents to vote for various candidates for leadership positions and laws.

Oligarchy

Oligarchy, which literally translates to “rule of the few,” is a sort of power structure in which the power is held by only a select few individuals. These individuals can be separated from others by their nobility, fortune, familial ties, education, or ownership of corporations, religious institutions, or armed forces.

Conclusion

The protection of people’s lives should be the primary objective of the government. This should include both the safety of individuals in their relationships with one another and the protection of the nation’s independence in its dealings with other nations. The term “government” is most commonly used to refer to the approximately 200 independent national governments that exist across the globe, in addition to the subsidiary organisations that these governments have.

faq

Frequently asked questions

Get answers to the most common queries related to the UPSC Examination Preparation.

What are the 3 main forms of government?

Ans. The type of government a nation has can be classified as one of three main types: ...Read full

What is democracy?

Ans. “Of the people, by the people, for the people” Abraham Lincoln. The word democracy comes from the G...Read full

What is the role of the government?

Ans. A government is responsible for creating and enforcing the rules of a society, defense, foreign affairs, the ec...Read full

What is the government system?

Ans. There are three main systems of government used today: unitary systems, federal systems, and confederate system...Read full

What should be the primary objective of the government?

Ans. The protection of people’s lives should be the primary objective of the government.