Government and its Basic Purpose
Introduction Government is the set of institutions through which a political community makes collective decisions, creates and enforces law, raises and spends public resources, resolves disputes, and represents itself to other communities. Saying that government exists to “serve the people” is morally appealing but incomplete. People disagree about interests, rights, values, risk, and distribution. Government must not simply deliver whatever a temporary majority requests; it must provide lawful procedures, protect

