Purposes and Origins of Government
What is government, and what are its basic functions?
1. Government is an institution in which leaders use power to make and enforce laws.
2. Governments set priorities and make decisions, and they maintain order by enforcing
laws.
3. Governments provide public services and promote public health and safety.
4. Governments provide national security to protect the people against external threats.
5. Governments protect the economic security of their people and may provide assistance
to those in need.
What do governments provide their citizens?
Governments provide leadership, order, public services, security, and economic assistance.
Anarchy – living in chaos and turmoil where mobs rule the land through might and violence
Government - an institution through which leaders exercise power to make and enforce laws affecting
the people under its control.
Governments provide leadership, order, security, defense, public services, economic assistance and
economic security.
Providing leadership – officials set priorities and make all sorts of decisions on behalf of the people.
Maintaining order – Governments try to control and contain conflict between people by placing limits
on what individuals can do. Police/security forces to enforce laws.
Providing public services – Governments create schools, build sewer systems and provides services that
individuals can’t do on their own.
Providing National Security – Protecting the people against attack by another country or by terrorist.
Providing economic security and economic assistance Nation – A sizable group of people united by common bonds of race language customs tradition and
sometimes religion.
State – Political community that occupies a defined territory and has an organized government.
Country - same as state
Sovereignty – The supreme and absolute authority within its territorial bounds.
What is the difference between a nation, and a state or a country?
1. A nation is a large group of people united by common bonds of race, language, custom,
or religion.
2. A state and a country are both political communities that occupy a definite territory and
have an organized government.
3. A state has sovereignty, which means that its government makes and enforces its own
laws.
4. States in today’s political world share four essential features: population, territory,
sovereignty, and government.
A nation is a sizable group of people who are united by common bonds of race, language, custom, or religion. A
state is a political community that occupies a definite territory and has an organized government. The term
country has the same meaning as state.
Evolutionary theory – Family
Forced Theory – People needed to cooperate
Divine Theory – Idea that people were chosen by their deities
Social contract – People surrender to the state the power needed to maintain order and the state in turn
agrees to protect is citizens
Systems of Government
Unitary – All power to the central government. Can have several layers but only if central government
gives it to them (France, Japan)
Confederate System - Loose union of independent states or sovereign states. Lots of power to the
states but the central government is very weak. (Federal States of Micronesia)
Federal System – Government divides power between national and state and provincial governments
(Brazil, USA)
Constitutional Government – Sets rules for government, Ideas, Basic Structure, it provides the supreme
law for the country.
Authoritarian System – Controls all aspects of government and life
Totalitarian – Government has total control
Dictatorship - Power in the hands of one person and the ruler has total control
Oligarchy - An authoritarian government that gives power to a small group of people or political party.
Derive their power form their wealth social position, military power or a combination of these factors.
Monarchy – One person with power derived from the Divine, King Queen, position in inherited and
originated from in ancient times
Democracy – Rule by the people either with representative or directly. Originated in Athens Greece but
only its citizens could vote.
Republic – people hold sovereign power - elect officials and officials held responsible to voters
Democracy is most likely to succeed in countries where most people are educated.
Why and how were governments created?
Evolutionary theory suggests that the idea of state evolved from the structure of ancient family
groups.
According to force theory, states emerged when people needed to cooperate to survive and
one person or a group took control.
The divine right theory refers to European rulers who proclaimed that their right to rule came
from God alone.
Thomas Hobbes developed the social contract theory, in which people gave up their freedom to
the state in return for order and security.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Citizen Participation - most basic principles of a democracy. Not just a right but also a duty.
Regular free and fair elections - elections held regularly, elected officials must be chosen by the people
in a free and fair manner. Most adults should have the right to vote and run for office. All votes should
be counted equally.
Accepting the results of elections - Accepting the loss in an election assuming it has been judges free and
fair. Peaceful transfer of power.
The rule of Law - No one is above the law-not even the King, elected president police officers or
members of the military
Majority rule with minority rights - Majority does rule and the minority's opinion and voice are
respected and allowed to be heard
Accountability - Elected officials are held responsible for their actions while in office by the people.
Transparency - all actions taken by a government are visible to all it citizens. What decisions are being
made by whom and why.
Limited Government and Bills of rights - Written list with citizens’ rights and freedoms. "Bill of Rights"
Control of the Abuse of power - Governments structured in such a way to limit the powers of
government officials. "checks and Balances"
Equality - All individual are equally valued and should be free from unreasonable discrimination.
Individual or Human rights - Human rights are the rights all people have simply because they are human
beings.
Independent judiciary - Fair and impartial court systems independent from the government
Competing political parties -
Fundamentals of economics
Economics is the study of how people and nations use their limited resources to attempt to satisfy wants
and needs. In every society governments guide economies.
Capitalism – a system that emphasizes private owner ship of the factors of production, freedom of
choice, and individual incentives. The goal of capitalism is to create what is called a free market (no
limits on buyers and sellers to make economic decisions)
Origins of capitalism
Basic theory about capitalism and free market comes from Adam Smith, Scottish philosopher who wrote
the famous book The wealth of nations. Basic premise of the Book the concept of Laissez-faire approach
to the economy. The meaning of Laissez-faire is "to let alone". Belief that economies were selfcorrecting and that the invisible hand of the marketplace would guide economic choices.
Characteristics of Pure capitalism: Private ownership, competition, control of property and resources,
freedom of Choice and the possibility of profits. (does not exist)
Mixed economies – a system in which the government regulates private enterprise. Combines the
elements of capitalism and socialism.
Socialism – an economic system in which the government owns the basic means of production.
Distributes the products and wages and provides social services such as health care and welfare.
Communism, a command economy - an economic system in which the government controls all the
factors of production. Karl Max father of the communist theory.