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    Government: Definitions and Etymology

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    Government: Definitions and Etymology

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    Government: Definitions and Etymology

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    MJ Botor
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    Government

    A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.

    In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive,
    and judiciary. Government is a means by which organizational policies are enforced, as well as a
    mechanism for determining policy. In many countries, the government has a kind of constitution, a
    statement of its governing principles and philosophy.

    While all types of organizations have governance, the term government is often used more specifically to
    refer to the approximately 200 independent national governments and subsidiary organizations.

    The main types of modern political systems recognized are democracies, totalitarian regimes, and, sitting
    between these two, authoritarian regimes with a variety of hybrid regimes.[1][2] Modern classification
    system also include monarchies as a standalone entity or as a hybrid system of the main three.[3]
    [4]
    Historically prevalent forms of government include
    monarchy, aristocracy, timocracy, oligarchy, democracy, theocracy, and tyranny. These forms are not
    always mutually exclusive, and mixed governments are common. The main aspect of any philosophy of
    government is how political power is obtained, with the two main forms being electoral
    contest and hereditary succession.

    Definitions and etymology

    A government is the system to govern a state or community. The Columbia Encyclopedia defines
    government as "a system of social control under which the right to make laws, and the right to enforce
    them, is vested in a particular group in society".[5] While all types of organizations have governance, the
    word government is often used more specifically to refer to the approximately 200 independent national
    governments on Earth, as well as their subsidiary organizations, such as state and provincial
    governments as well as local governments.[6]

    The word government derives from the Greek verb κυβερνάω [kubernáo] meaning to steer with
    a gubernaculum (rudder), the metaphorical sense being attested in the literature of classical antiquity,
    including Plato's Ship of State.[7] In British English, "government" sometimes refers to what's also known
    as a "ministry" or an "administration", i.e., the policies and government officials of a particular executive
    or governing coalition. Finally, government is also sometimes used in English as a synonym for rule or
    governance.[8]

    In other languages, cognates may have a narrower scope, such as the government of Portugal, which is
    actually more similar to the concept of "administration".

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