How Does Government Work?
A government is an entity that has the authority to rule over the land, depending on the legal administrative law. This rule-of-thumb can apply to any government that governs a single territory. This authority can be in different forms:
The majority of governments are ruled by a representative democracy. A representative democracy means that citizens directly elect representatives to sit in the legislative assembly and other bodies such as the supreme court or legislature to make decisions about the country. Examples include Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. In direct democracy, citizens make laws by voting for candidates running for elective office.
The majority of nations with representative democracy are ruled by political parties that make government decisions through popular votes. These parties then hold general elections to elect members of the legislature and other bodies. The governments are formed from a party list of candidates nominated by voters. Candidates can gain support or lose support through the party list.
There is another form of government system in the world known as direct democracy. It is governed by a form of proportional representation in which voters give their representation in parliament by voting for candidates. Each person gets one vote and their value are determined by how many people elect representatives to a house of assembly. A country’s representative determines how many seats the house of assembly will have and how those seats will be filled by representatives of other parties or groups of citizens.
No single form of government has absolute power. Some forms of democracy do not allow absolute power, because a democracy is based on a representative system. Elected officials make laws and determine how they will be enforced. Powerful organizations, like political parties, can sometimes push to have too many seats for their liking. They can try to elect representatives that they like to increase their power. In some cases, governments may need to pass laws to get political parties to serve their will if they cannot get their way through the normal process.
In contrast, a society with a more defined form of government where there is less room for organized political parties and elected officials is a democracy. A democracy allows for a greater degree of accountability and checks and balances. It also leaves room for checks and balances to prevent the erosion of checks and balances through the interests of major interest groups. A true democracy allows for social welfare programs, free speech and a minimal level of taxation and social welfare programs.