What is Government: Definition and 125 Discussions

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. Each 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.
Historically prevalent forms of government include monarchy, aristocracy, timocracy, oligarchy, democracy, theocracy and tyranny. 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.

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  1. H

    A controversial question came in a Government job exam

    Here is the question : The examinees argued that that question is far too more general, and cannot be studied, the commission, which holds the exam, replied “Anyone who reads the newspaper everyday can easily solve that question”. I personally think that that question is not solvable by...
  2. jk22

    Government detects nonlocality via voting

    Suppose a system which looks at votation of each citizen, answers being yes/no coded as 1,-1. Since a lot of people vote it gives an average value that is encoded as an angle ##\theta##, the score 50/50 corresponding then to ##\pi/2## since the average with 1,-1 were 0...
  3. Quentin_alex

    Engineering Materials engineer in the military as a civilian

    What is it like to work as a materials engineer as a civilian with the Department of Defense?
  4. Dr. Courtney

    Insights Blaming Government for Teacher and Scientist Failures in Integrity - Comments

    Dr. Courtney submitted a new PF Insights post Blaming Government for Teacher and Scientist Failures in Integrity Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.
  5. P

    Job Skills How to work on weapons research for a government Agency?

    And by weapons I mean the new revolutional weapons, like lasers, plasma, bio-weapons, EMP, drones... Can a physicist work on these Projects? Do you need a PhD? How do they employ scientists? You just ask for job or do they ask and find you? Is there a competition? What degree is recommended...
  6. V

    MHB Find the tax rate t that maximizes revenue for the government?

    Suppose that the relationship between the tax rate t on imported shoes and the total sales S (in millions of dollars) is given by the function below: S(t) = 5 − 9 * sqrt[3]{t} t = ? Find the tax rate t that maximizes revenue for the government. (Round your answer to three decimal places.)...
  7. P

    How Can I Land a Job in Area 51 as a Physicist?

    Area 51, how do i get a job in area 51 as a physicist? Misterious places like groom lake are really attractive, I know it could look like a silly question but for sure someone works there, and I would like to know how they did. What kind of specialization and path would I need to get there...
  8. Astronuc

    News China hacking US government emails

    Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/china-reading-top-obama-administration-emails-since-2010-2015-8#ixzz3iemYeAUS China Read Emails of Top U.S. Officials http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/china-read-emails-top-us-officials-n406046
  9. G

    What are Government research jobs like in physics?

    I am going to be a college freshmen majoring in physics and am trying to learn about all of the different options I have in the future. I can't seem to find any good information about what government research jobs in physics are like. What does a day look like as a government researcher? Are...
  10. Dotini

    John Podesta's greatest regret - government silence on UFOs

    John Podesta is an outgoing counselor to President Barack Obama, and has been selected to be a key member of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign team, likely campaign manager. He recently announced that his greatest regret is keeping America in the dark on UFO's. What, if anything, does this...
  11. Astronuc

    News New York State government corruption

    New York Assembly speaker charged with five criminal counts in corruption case http://news.yahoo.com/york-assembly-speaker-charged-five-criminal-counts-corruption-145959633--sector.html Of course, NY State is equal opportunity in these matters. Joe Bruno, was the Temporary President of the...
  12. Mogarrr

    Crafting Effective Emails to Research Mentors for Summer Internships

    Greetings forum-goers, I am planning to apply for a DHS summer internship, where I am encouraged to contact research mentors (although it's stated that OSRI makes the hiring decision). I plan on cold emailing several mentors and, besides introducing myself and mentioning how I am interested in...
  13. N

    Programs Government jobs with a CS degree?

    Could a Bachelors in CS easily translate to a government job? I have a dream of working for the government, and was wondering how easy it would be to get a job with DoD or NSA with a CS degree. I'm assuming the NSA has the largest amount of CS jobs. Also, would it be beneficial to attend...
  14. T

    Is country-scale corruption possible without a big government?

    A big government (characterized by a significant spending as % of GDP, like the European governments, US, Canada, Japan, etc...) obviously makes it easier for a wide-scale corruption to exist. In Portugal, Italy, Greece, among others, this is where the corruption is coming from. Corruption shows...
  15. Astronuc

    News Another government shutdown?

    http://news.yahoo.com/house-sends-government-spending-bill-to-the-senate-without-obamacare-funding-145746956.html I experienced the government shutdown of 1995 and 1996, and watched a company in demise. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_government_shutdown_of_1995_and_1996
  16. jtbell

    News US government snail-mail logging

    I think I've seen the analogy somewhere, that the much-discussed capturing of meta-data for e-mail, text messages etc. is like recording the sender and destination names and addresses on a snail-mail envelope without actually opening the envelope. Well, surprise... the US government is doing...
  17. M

    Right to strike for government employee

    Why doesn't the government employee in USA have the right to strike when other employees in the usa have the right?
  18. Vorde

    News Tax Cuts vs Government Stimulus

    In the thread concerning the second Presidential Debate Russ_Watters just posted advocating tax cuts vs stimulus (edit: no longer there). I want to see if I can start a debate on this, but I didn't want to sidetrack the original thread. So I'd like to ask this question here, hopefully some...
  19. T

    News Does libertarianism just shift tyranny from the government to individuals?

    Ron Paul may very well be the most honest Congressman, but are any of his ideas really practical in increasing freedom? I agree with him that we don't need more government, but I don't think we need less either; we need more direct and accountable government. Please correct me if you think I am...
  20. 8

    Instant Gov't Scanner: Know Everything About You From 50m Away

    I am seeking informed feedback regarding this article, which is being widely reported on by the media: http://gizmodo.com/5923980/the-secret-government-laser-that-instantly-knows-everything-about-you
  21. Lebombo

    News Government Takeover of All Scientific Publishing

    What would be the outcome of the US government taking over the entire Scientific publishing industry? If all peer review was funded by taxpayer dollars.? That's what I'm mostly interested in hearing about - the results, economic, political..etc of a completely government controlled scientific...
  22. J

    News Gardens of Democracy and the Role of Government

    "Gardens of Democracy" and the "Role of Government" What should the role of government be in the United States? I've been reading a book with some suggested answers to these questions, and I thought it might spur a good discussion. Have other people read this book? Are there other good books...
  23. W

    News Should government benefits be conditionally granted?

    IMO -it would be reasonable and very easy to make benefits conditional to abiding by the law - wouldn't it? Perhaps we can break this discussion of Government benefits being conditional of abiding by the law into a new thread - as discussion has gone beyond the scope of the Romney thread...
  24. M

    The greatest system of government?

    For the past few years(i am 15) I have been working on a personal project where I am trying to find the most flawless form of government that is dedicated to science and knowledge that also takes into account religious freedoms.In theory it would be a philosopher king.But I found the project a...
  25. M

    What Is the One-Year Forward Rate in Year 2 for Government Bonds?

    hi. i have a problem. it's task 13. please help =) 12. Based on information about the yields of government bonds you have the following term structure: Time to maturity 1 year 2 years 3 years 4 years Yield 5% 8% 9% 8% What is the expected...
  26. S

    News Is a 'One World Government' the Solution to Global Issues?

    http://www.oldthinkernews.com/?p=1460 "United states of earth" Do we really need an 'One world government' ? ,will it ever happen? When will it become a necessity? ,Is it urgently needed?
  27. K

    Federal & state education loans: is the government 'doing it wrong'?

    I recently had a friend pop up on my news feed with a link to a promo video, with the video saying that the US should forgive student debt on the basis that the (former) students won't be able to pay it back without basically crushing them financially. It kind of got me thinking about how...
  28. ThomasT

    News A reply to an argument against government aid to the poor

    In a recent thread, "Are pell grants 'welfare'?", I agreed that Pell grants are welfare, and stated: To which jambaugh replied: With which I disagreed, and below I address the rest of his reply. I don't understand what you mean by "coerced redistribution of wealth". Who is coercing, who is...
  29. N

    Should songs be under government consent?

    There are a lot of songs that have such a bad influence on society. Just look at all the songs at the start of 2000 that constantly promoted living the "gangster" life and violence... Pathetic. Its enough that people in certain areas are influenced by their environment to join the whole...
  30. Ryan_m_b

    News Apple richer than government

    Apparently Apple now has more reserve cash than the US government http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14340470 This is getting a bit ridiculous, I'm not American so I can't comment well on opinion or politics in the US but here in the UK people are quite worried that this irresponsible...
  31. N

    Fukushima Fukushima Management and Government Performance

    This seems to be a high interest topic and nobady else started it so I will. If previous discussion is evidence of a future trend please put on your asbestos underwear before you post. Before you start throwing knives, I will concede that there have been serious mistakes and defective...
  32. M

    News Will the U.S. Economy Collapse Without Government Debt?

    If the U.S. government shuts down, will federal funding for all research dry up as well?
  33. Gokul43201

    News Federal Government Revenue: the Income Tax

    This thread is meant to re-examine current systems of revenue generation and, more importantly, explore the potential for alternatives out of which governments may provide citizens with the services that they are charged with providing. The thread is not meant to be restricted to solutions for...
  34. mugaliens

    News Government Bureaucracy and its Effects

    There's a good eye-opener going around the Internet. Normally I refrain from reposting them, but this one rang bells with the recent cutbacks at NASA while janitors and groundskeepers were left untouched because of the "needed" jobs:
  35. F

    News Why we need a one world government

    We need a one world government too: Stop man made climate change. Stop terrorism. Stop over population. Stop the threat of nuclear war. Create a stable economy. Create a defense against asteroids and solar flares.
  36. mheslep

    News Government Spending: $14 Trillion Debt Looms

    One aspect of the OP is the deficit caused by run away spending. When the US President calls for even more big government projects, as he did last night, with a $14 trillion debt looming over the US, that is relevant to a thread on spending.
  37. nismaratwork

    News Lebanese 'Unity Government' Falls Apart.

    http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/01/12/lebanon.politics/index.html?hpt=Sbin It appears that Hezbollah quit the government, and this has resulted in what appears to be a collapse of the unity government. This could get very ugly.
  38. M

    News Wikileaks: Royal Dutch Shell Infiltrates Nigerian Government (guardian.co.uk)

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/dec/08/wikileaks-cables-shell-nigeria-spying 70% of Nigerians who live below the poverty line will be none too happy to read about this.
  39. I_am_learning

    News What you don't like about your government?

    So, I would like to ask what things you don't like of your government systems and political leaders of your country?
  40. turbo

    News Business and government 100 years ago

    In Maine in 1909 the Fernald Law was enacted that required hydroelectric power to be sold in-state only. My understanding is that damming rivers was considered a "taking" that hindered some interests (including the driving of whole logs), so the hydro-power had to be sold in-state to provide...
  41. mugaliens

    News U.S. Government takeover of currently independant college/university accreditation

    While looking into the accreditation of graduate school programs earlier this week, I was shocked to find the following three items in the news: http://www.ccu.edu/centennial/blog/post/2010/08/03/Breaking-Potential-Government-Takeover-of-Private-Colleges.aspx" , Centennial Institute...
  42. Ivan Seeking

    UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go On the Record

    ... a new book by Leslie Kean. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0307716848/?tag=pfamazon01-20 I don't normally promote something like this, but I was struck by Stephen Colbert's soft-glove treatment of Kean when she appeared on his show recently. I have always liked Kean, so eventually I planned to...
  43. A

    News The downside to government incentives

    One factor in economic recovery is that demand for durable goods and large ticket items eventually builds up and helps propel a recovery. There are a few metrics, like average age of cars on the road and such. The problem with all of the various incentives, like the credit for energy...
  44. E

    Physics in morocco under government scholarship

    my name is ebrima from the gambia. i am in morocco under government scholarship. i already studied french for a year now and i just started my engineering cours wheareas i have to do maths and physics for 3 semesters then the last threee semesters I've to specialise on the site i want to study...
  45. L

    Get Government Grants: What to Know & How to Apply

    Anyone have any experience with a government grant? I'd like to get one, but I'd like to talk to someone who has gotten one themselves first. How do I get one? Write a letter? Fill out an online form? I've seen some online forms, but I don't trust them. Thanks.
  46. J

    Exploring Nuclear Engineering Careers: Private vs Government Labs

    I'm currently attending U of I and majoring in Nuclear engineering, following in my fathers foot steps, and here i arrive at the problem my father is a nuclear engineer like i have said above and works at a nuclear power plant, and seeing what he goes through working at a power plant I'm sure...
  47. A

    News Will we ever see HUGE government initiatives for Science and Engineering jobs?

    You can tell me if this is bull**** but it seems to me that all there is left for America (whether it is possible to fund is another story) to create more jobs is to make engineering and especially science a regular, highly funded aspect of the government. There is a glut of science PhD's in...
  48. Andre

    News Do we have a (Dutch) government tomorrow?

    Most likely not. The negotiations are still ongoing but the mood is getting more and more gloomy. There have been a serious of issues. Last week the support of the operations in Iraq was challenged to be politically unsound. But the current issue is the departure of the Dutch military units...
  49. B

    9/11 report commissioned by the US government accurate

    Was the report commissioned by the US government accurate to a degree or not at all, in accordance with the laws of physics?
  50. Astronuc

    News Clear case of government going too far

    State to mom: Stop baby-sitting neighbors' kids http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090929/ap_on_re_us/us_baby_sitter_backlash_mich Is it requisite that legislators not think when they write laws?
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