Q5. How can a government function?
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Answer:
Every government has specific roles and duties that it carries on a daily basis. But do you know the explicit functions of government? Well, if you don’t know, you’re about to find out.
Every day, state and federal government work to ensure peace and stability in their jurisdictions. Here are the primary functions of government.
1. Protect the Natural Rights
The primary functions of government are to protect the basic human rights which include right to life, liberty and to possess property. The idea of natural rights is because every person deserves to enjoy these rights. It is assumed that people are born with these rights and that they shouldn’t be taken away from them without their agreement.
If the government takes any of these rights, you have the liberty to take your complaints to court. Hire an attorney to improve your chances of winning the case. Well, the good thing is, there were over 1,268,011 licensed lawyers in 2012 alone. The number can only be higher now. Check the reputation and experience of an attorney before hiring the one for your case.
2. Defend Against External Enemies
War across nations has been a constant condition since the beginning of civilization.
According to the federal laws and constitution, the government has a responsibility to ensure peace within its borders. It should also keep external aggressors at bay.
3. Managing Economic Conditions
The modern government has a duty to fight poverty and improve the quality of life of its citizens. In order to achieve this, the government must create a conducive environment for material prosperity and economic growth.
In the United States, economic policy makers leave the decision to private markets. Here individual choice, exchange, and competition are presumed to lead a growing economy. However, even the free markets require state regulations, in the form of consumer protection, enforceable property rights, and health and safety laws to work fairly and efficiently.
4. Redistribution of Income and Resources
Governments should ensure economic pie grows larger to redistribute fruits of prosperity. The government does this by taxing wealthier people and transferring the income to different categories of people who are in need of these services.
Therefore, the modern government can be characterized as welfare states. Therefore, the functions of government are to not only resources from wealthier to poorer individuals. They also redistribute resources from the young to disabled, socially challenged and the aged. Further, the wealthier governments subsidize food, housing, pension, and healthcare to the poor.
5. Provide Public or Utility Goods
Among the many functions of government is to provide public goods. In most cases, these are services that the private sector cannot provide or they can provide in an unfair or inefficient manner. National security is one of these services. For example, can the private market offer security services? Yes, the government can outsource military security. The government and wealthy individuals can hire private mercenaries to protect them.
According to historic data, relying on mercenaries to protect populations is a risky affair. Without federal statutes to govern their operations, the mercenaries can turn on the governments that hired them. In the end, the mercenaries can injure or harm the very people they are supposed to protect. Because of this, responsible governments develop state legislation to monopolize national security. The same applies for interstate highways, postal services and clean air. As you’ll note, certain goods are best offered by the federal or state governments.
6. Prevent Any Externality
An externality is an indirect cost or benefit occurring from an activity that impacts your society. In most cases, externalities affect people who are not participants in an event or activity. The impact can either be negative or positive.
For example, factories can produce air pollution that may contaminate city water’s supply or affect the quality of air that people breathe. Positive externalities include where a society and not students benefit more from a learned population. The government must develop and implement state laws and regulations on undesirable externalities. Other than being physical as in the case of pollution, externalities can also be aesthetic or psychological. For example, a liquor store located near a school is an externality. The government strives to prevent them via zoning state laws.
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