Government is the institution that provides the rules and benefits that a society needs to function as a whole. This includes goods such as food and housing, as well as services such as education and transportation. It also helps maintain security and protects citizens’ natural rights to life, liberty and property. Governments have many different ways of organizing themselves and allocating power. Some governments are democracies, where people get to choose their leaders. Others are nondemocracies, such as monarchies or republics, where some chosen group of people holds the reins of power.

In most countries, the central government is powerful and has control over most national policies. However, there are also government institutions at lower levels, such as counties and towns. Governments can also exist in the form of a union, which is a collection of independent states that work together.

The most common forms of government are democratic and republican. A democracy is a form of government in which the people vote for the leaders who create and implement public policy. In this kind of government, the people’s choices are reflected in daily decisions and there is less of a chance that a tyrannical government will rise. Republics have the advantage of being able to offer economic and social security to their citizens.

One of the most important functions of government is to ensure that everyone has access to goods and services that are too costly for the market to supply, such as health care and education. These kinds of goods are known as public goods. Governments also play an important role in protecting goods that are in limited supply but that all people can use, such as fish in the sea and clean air. Governments can do this by raising taxes, creating regulatory agencies and enforcing property laws.

Most governments try to balance competing priorities, such as the need for economic prosperity versus the need to protect citizens’ liberty. This is why they create systems of checks and balances to limit their own power. For example, a president might be able to veto legislation passed by Congress. He or she can also nominate heads of federal departments and high court appointees.

Governments can also communicate with other governments by having meetings. This can help prevent war, make trade agreements and exchange cultural and social experiences and knowledge. Most countries have diplomats who represent their country abroad.

The existence of any kind of government is necessary for civilized human societies to develop. Even the most primitive civilizations, such as hunter-gatherer communities in Africa, require some level of centralized authority to keep order and provide basic services like food and shelter. Without a government to enforce the law and protect their natural rights, people would not be able to live together peacefully. The concept of government evolved as civilizations developed and grew. Some places on Earth do not have a government, such as small border disputed areas and the continent of Antarctica.