Government is a system by which people who live together form rules to manage their lives, provide security and help society flourish. It makes laws, enforces those laws and provides services to its citizens. Governments come in many different shapes and sizes. They can be national, local or international. People in a government are called citizens, and they can vote to choose their leaders and pass laws.
The meaning of government has evolved over time as people discovered that protection was easier when they stayed together in groups and recognized that one member of the group should have more power than others. The modern classification of government systems includes democracies, totalitarian regimes and a range of authoritarian systems that sit between those two extremes.
One of the main jobs of a government is to ensure that its laws are followed by everyone, and that those laws are fair. Governments also provide essential services such as law enforcement, education and healthcare. Governments also protect the environment, and they provide a structure by which people may share resources such as natural lands.
Some of the biggest challenges facing governments today are keeping us safe from terrorism and other dangers, providing food, medicine and housing for all, and maintaining infrastructure. A recent Pew Research study found that Americans are more positive than negative about the way their government does these things.
Another big job of a government is helping its citizens out of poverty, which requires raising taxes to fund programs. The problem is that there are many needs in the United States that cannot be met by raising taxes alone. People can help each other through freely chosen acts of compassion that are not part of a government program.
Providing stability for the people of a country is a central goal of most governments. Governments can provide a stable economic climate for its citizens by controlling the amount of money in the economy. They can also reduce risk for businesses by regulating the banking industry and putting insurance policies in place to protect against risks. Governments can also help create a level playing field for business by ensuring that all companies must follow the same rules to compete fairly.