The agency through which the purpose and cardinal objectives of a state are achieved is called government. The government whose organization could be seen either through the territorial structure or by functionality carries out the day-to-day activities of the state.
Government is a creation of a state and could be geographically
structured at three-tier as the case in Nigeria, thus: federal, states, and
local government councils with distinct organ and other functionaries.
You will learn more
about the meaning, functions, origin, necessity as well as tiers and forms of
government this in this post as we progress.
Table of Content
By the end of this
post, you will be able to:
1.
Explain the concept of government
2.
Distinguish between government and the state
3.
Explain the basic functions of government.
Meaning of Government
The Merriam-Webster
Dictionary offers three definitions of government:
(i) 'The group of
people who control and make decisions for a country, state, etc.'
(ii) 'A particular
system used for controlling country, state, etc.'
(iii) 'The process
or manner of controlling a country, state, etc.'
Evident from the
foregoing is the fact that the government can be defined by the people
involved, the system in place, or the process in use.
Thus, the government
is defined as the vehicle for the governance of society, which is the
establishment and enforcement of rules and provisioning of basic services which
society requires but which would otherwise not be available or might be in
conflict between individuals and the various subdivisions within society.
Similar to the
foregoing, Black's Law Dictionary posits that institutions of the government regulate
the relationships among members of a society and between the society and
outsiders and that they have the authority to make decisions for the society to
meet goals and maintain order.
The government plays a fundamental role in the economic development process. Market rules and operating procedures are set and enforced by the government. The government plays a role in the economy through the provision of public goods that are collective in nature and through efforts to counter market imperfections such as externalizes or poor information.
For example, the government provides public infrastructure that services economic activities. It also provides public services to both business and households. Again, the government decides what is best for the individuals and groups and how to utilize available resources to provide the best living standard for the citizenry. Can you imagine living in a society without transportation, water supply, road network and without other social infrastructural facilities?
How it would be like if nobody was charged with the
responsibility to make sure laws are made and respected or to provide a plan
where buildings should go and keep our environment clean and safe?
We need the
government to take care of many of these things. Government operations are
those activities involved in the running of a state to produce value for the
citizens. The significant feature of modern (liberal) government is a
democracy, and two major attributes of democracy found in most writings on
liberal democracy are the principle of rule of law and the theory of separation
of powers.
Scholars have argued
that the government can be explained and understood along three broad
interpretations.
These include:
1. Government as a process of governing
2. Government as an institution of the state
3. Government as a field of study
Government as a Process of Governing
As a process of
governing, the government refers to how a particular state is being governed.
It also means the entire processes, operations and activities that are involved
in the governing of a state. In the course of governing a state, the government
is divided into different organs and tiers, which include the legislature,
judiciary and executive organs, and the federal, state and local governments respectively.
The legislative arm
is responsible for lawmaking; such laws must not be arbitrary but should be
based on a critical assessment of the collection of relevant information. The
executive arm performs the activity of implementation of these laws made by the
legislature.
The executive mobilizes
all the necessary machinery to ensure the implementation of adequate policies and
laws made by the legislature. More often than not, problems arise while
implementing government policies; such problems are resolved by the judiciary.
The judiciary performs a crucial role in explaining or interpreting the laws
properly.
It is therefore seen
that both the organs and tiers of government are all effectively involved in
the effective running of the affairs of a state.
Hence, we can posit
that government as an art or process of governing refers to the process through
which the legislature, executive and judicial organs of government variously
carry out their assigned functions and responsibilities at federal, state and
local governments.
Government as an
Institution of the State
This refers to the
mechanism that guides the control and direction of a state. These are the institutions,
Ministries, parastatals and Agencies (MDAs) of state responsible for the
administration of the state.
The institutions of
a state are broadly categorized into formal and informal institutions. The
formal institutions are the legislature, executive and judiciary; while the
informal institutions comprise of the pressure groups, political parties and
trade unions.
The government in
this context refers to the institution of a State because it is formed and
established for the common good of the people who chose to come together and
have a common destiny. Government is therefore necessary as an institution of the
state because it is through the government that the will of the state, which is
an abstract entity, is realized.
Government
transforms the abstractness of the state into a concrete reality that can be
seen and recognized. It is the government as an institution that governs, and
this entails regulating individual’s relationship and providing for the fundamental
human rights of the people as well as the protection of citizens from internal
insecurity and external aggression.
Read On: Definition, Functions, Origin & Characteristics of the State
Government as a Field of Study
As a field of study,
the government is seen as a branch of human endeavor that studies agencies,
institutions and the forces that operate in the state. It is studied as Government
in post-primary schools, and Political Science or Politics in higher
institutions. Government as an academic field of study also has sub-disciplines
or fields such as Political Theory, Political Economy, Comparative Government, and
International
Relations, Public
Administration, Public Policy, Local Government Studies, among others.
As a field of study,
Government imbues an individual with logical reasoning. It prepares citizens
for active and meaningful participation in the art of governing. More
fundamentally, it not only enlightens citizen of their fundamental human rights
and obligations but also creates a deep sense of national consciousness, cohesion
and patriotism in them.
State and Government
Compared
A state is a
geographical entity made up of people who have or believe they have the
followings in common: culture, language, history, tradition, and religion in a
fixed territory (boundary). The term state can be used to mean a country.
A state is an independent
and sovereign entity with a system of law and an organized government, which
has certain administrative tasks to be carried out for its proper functioning.
The government
carries out these administrative tasks. It has the right to exercise power over
the territory and the people. The state is the territory in which the
government can practice its authority. A state is like an organization and the
government is like the management team. A state has the following
characteristics: sovereignty; population; territory and government, which
distinguish it from any other union or association.
Government, on the
other hand, is a political or the ruling administrative means that serves as
the agent or machinery through which the purpose or goals for which the state
or country is established are achieved.
However, while state
exists in perpetuity except in the event of its collapses, governments the
world over change through elections or by other means. Another difference is
that while government functionaries are visible, the state exists in a
‘spiritual realm’, you only hear references made to the state but you cannot
see the entity called the state physically even though the day to day
activities of the government are done in her name.
Read On: Public Policy: Meaning and Nature
Important Differences between the State and Government
1. The
state has four basic elements or characteristics, viz: population; territory;
government and sovereignty. Government is a narrow concept and it is an element
or characteristic of the state.
2. The
state is regarded as an organic concept, which the government is a part
thereof.
3. The
state is more or less permanent and continues from time immemorial. But the
government is temporary. It changes frequently. A government may come and go,
but the State continues. Forever.
4. It
is a known fact that citizens are members of the state in entirety but not all
of them are members of the government. The government consists of only a few
selected citizens. The organs of the government consist of only a few elected
or selected citizens.
5. The
state possesses sovereignty. Its authority is absolute and unlimited. Any other
institution cannot take its power away. Government possesses no sovereignty, no
original authority, but only derivative powers delegated by the state through
its constitution. Powers of government are delegated and limited. Government
safeguards the sovereignty of the state.
6. The
state is an abstract concept whereas government is a concrete one. Nobody sees
the state and the state never acts. The government is a physical manifestation
and it acts for the state. For instance, while Nigeria is the state, Buhari’s
administration is the government of the Nigerian state.
7. All
states are identical in character and nature. Whether big or small, the
characteristics of the State do not change. But governments are of different
types and they may vary from state to state. The government may be based on
democracy, monarchy, theocracy, or oligarchy. Various political scientists have
given different classifications of government.
8. Lastly,
the citizens have a right to go against the government and not against the
state. The state only acts through the government and the government may make
mistakes and may be sanctioned for it but not the state. The state can do no
wrong or make mistake, therefore, the citizens only have rights to go against
the government and not the state.
Functions of Government
Government is a
sufficient condition for peaceful and prosperous existence.
Thus, functions of
government can simply be outline as follows: defence and security functions;
regulation of social life; maintenance of unity in society; provision of
infrastructures, political, economic and social functions; international
relations.
To understand the basis for the fore-going functions, it is pertinent to explain the ‘state of nature’, the hypothetical condition of humanity before the evolution of modern states, and the consequent ‘Social Contract’, as articulated by Thomas Hobbes.
In his
book, Leviathan (1651, Ch.13), Hobbes describes man as selfish, pursuing his
own interest at the expense of others in a condition he hypothetically explains
as “kill whom you can and take away what you can and from this spring all
possibilities of internecine warfare.”
He concludes, “the
state of nature is the ill, unhappy and intolerable condition of life.
The life of man is
solitary, nasty, poor, brutish and short.” It is against the background of the
above scenario that there is the need for a central authority called
“government” to be saddled with the primary responsibility of maintaining law
and order in order to ensure peace and tranquility in the society.
However, because of
certain changes in the development of society in modern times – socio-cultural,
technological advancements, political changes etc., as well as the type of political system, the functions of government
now extend beyond protection and security of lives and properties into broader
areas.
These include:
1. Interpersonal and intergroup relationship.
This is necessary to maintain order and stability,
2. Government is
expected to mobilize all the human and material resources within and even
outside its confiners (territories) for the promotion of the welfare of the
citizens.
3. Government is
expected not only to mobilize resource; it also should distribute them fairly
to its members.
4. All these activities involve greater regulation
of the activities and relationships of people.
By and large, in
democratic nations, the roles, powers and responsibilities of the government
are set out in the constitution of such states.
Conclusion on Meaning and Functions of Government
The evolution
theories of State make the need for a government imperative in human society
for without government humanity may not live in peace and harmony, which are
the important elements for development and growth. The relationship between the
State and government is that of a principal and an agent.
The state and government are like semen’s twins because without a State, there cannot be a government and a government cannot operate except on the authority of the State. The State has set objectives, which can only be accomplished through the machinery of the government that holds power in trust for the people based on the authority of the State.
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