Purpose of Government

"Why has government been instituted at all? Because the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice without constraint." - Alexander Hamilton

"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness --That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men...- Thomas Jefferson (The Declaration of Independence)

The two quotes above clearly explains, what is the purpose of government in a nutshell to the point that they make my article unnecessary. I have tried to explain the two points mentioned in quotes above that define the very purpose of government. This is one of the most fundamental questions of political science and it would be instructive to ponder on this question if you are a student of this field. Answering this question is understanding the nature of governance and the principles underlying its need.

Imagine for a moment, if there was no government, what would be the world around you like. That will pretty much give you an idea about why we need a government and what is its purpose. As you go reading ahead, you will realize that the need for governance is a natural consequence of the fact that man is a social animal. For a society to stabilize and grow in peace, it is necessary that man becomes a political animal and adopt a particular type of government. In the following lines, I present the purpose of government.

A government is any organization that holds the highest power in a region or a country and is the ultimate arbitrator in matters of public policy, law and order. A nation state is defined by the existence of a government which has control over a nation's dominion. The 3 branches of government which include the executive, legislative and judicial are the three pillars on which the edifice of a democratic government rests.

There can be various types of governments depending on how power is shared among the people. There are democratic regimes like USA, which elect their own government and at the other end, there are totalitarian regimes which hold power by force. The kind of government I talk about in the rest of the article is a federal democracy which exists in USA. This type of government is guided by a chosen set of principles which are together assimilated into a constitution. Most decisions are made by a central government which is made up of a set of elected representatives. In the next section, I present the purpose of government from the point of view of democratic principles. Also know about what are the five purposes of government.

What is the Purpose of a Government?

Understanding the purpose of government is trying to comprehend the need for distribution of power in a society. Here are the prime purposes of government.

Upholding Fundamental Human Rights
The prime purpose of federal government is to uphold and protect the fundamental human rights of freedom, equality, peace and justice. Most importantly, what must be safeguarded is freedom of thought, freedom to determine your own destiny and above all the right to pursuit of happiness!

Maintaining Peace Through Enforcement of Law & Order
To maintain peace, a government needs to enforce law and maintain order. It needs to establish an impartial judicial system that can hand out justice and punish crime. A creation of an internal organization for implementing the rule of law (like the Federal Bureau of Investigation & State Wise Police Units) must be established. This function includes safeguarding private property and life of citizens.

Protecting the Sovereignty of the Nation
Every government must safeguard its land and people from elements that threaten freedom of the nation. For these principles, it must build defense forces to protect its borders and its economic interests. This is the most important of basic purposes of government.

Implementing Economic & Social Reform
Another prime purpose of local government, as well as federal government is to create laws that achieve economic as well as social reform. The policies of the government must be repaired or modified according to need. This is done by unanimous vote of elected representatives of people.

Collecting Taxes
The economic resources for provision of all the governance facilities and implementation of policies cannot be possible without collection of taxes from the general public. It needs to have an impartial taxation system for that purpose.

Providing Education, Infrastructure, Health Facilities
The most fundamental of human needs which includes education, food, health facilities must be satisfied through the policy of governance. Government must provide infrastructure so that these needs are met.

Hope I have given you a rough idea about what is the purpose of a government. If we need to peacefully coexist, share the resources offered by nature and protect the right to liberty which is the right of every man, we need a government. A system like a society will not sustain without the backbone of law and order as inherently we are highly individualistic species. Hence, the adoption of a rule of law commonly acceptable to all was adopted. In a nutshell, the purpose of government is to protect freedom and protect the very fabric of society.