Government

Government is the institutions and officials that exercise public authority over a state or other political community. It makes and enforces collective decisions, administers public affairs, and may be organized in different forms.

State: A political organization with institutions, a population, territory, and claims to sovereign authority. Government exercises public authority through the institutions of a state.
Legislature: A representative institution that debates and enacts laws. Legislatures turn political demands into general rules and authorize public action.
Democracy: A political system in which people exercise governing power directly or through representatives. Democratic governments derive authority from political participation and public choice.
Taxation: The compulsory collection of money by public authorities to fund collective purposes. Taxation supplies governments with resources for administration and public programs.
Social contract: A political theory that explains legitimate authority through an agreement, explicit or implicit, among people. It frames government as an arrangement justified by obligations between authority and the governed.
Sovereignty: The supreme authority to govern a territory and population, free from higher internal authority. It describes the authority governments claim and the limits imposed by other powers.
Executive branch: The branch of government responsible for implementing laws and directing public administration. Executives coordinate agencies and carry out laws and policy.
Authoritarianism: A system of political rule that restricts political competition and limits public accountability. It shows how government can concentrate authority while restricting opposition.
Public goods: Goods that are non-excludable and non-rivalrous, such as national defense or clean air. Governments often fund or provide goods that markets may undersupply.
Civil service: A professional body of public employees who administer government independently of political officeholders. A career civil service can preserve administrative continuity when governments change.

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