Goverment Role

The Role of the Government

The government plays a critical role in the functioning of the economy. However, many people do not really understand what exactly the government does and how thisimpacts the economy. This paper will define the role of the government and will provide an analysis of the federal government’s responsibilities to its people according to an article titled, “Role of theFederal Government” by the Rational Society. Specifically the paper will address four critical responsibilities including: social policy, the environment and energy, fiscal policy and foreign policy.A government is a body that has the authority to make and the power to enforce laws within a civil, corporate, religious, academic, or other organization or group. In its broadest sense, "togovern" means to administer or supervise, whether over a state, a set group of people, or a collection of assets (Colander, 2004).

The most critical roles of the government are:

▪ socialpolicy (including individual rights, health care, care for the poor, crime)

▪ environment and energy

▪ fiscal policy (spending and revenue)

▪ foreign policy (including securityfrom foreign threats and the global human condition)

Social Policy


All individuals have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, freedom of religion and speech. Social policyrelates to guidelines for these rights and the living conditions that are conducive to the welfare of humans. Social policy aims to improve human welfare and to meet needs for education, health,housing and social security. Modern-day social policies may deal with the following social issues; abortion, and the regulation of its practice, the legal status of euthanasia, the rules surroundingissues of marriage, divorce, and adoption, poverty, welfare, crime and homelessness. Social policy may be influenced by religion and the religious beliefs of politicians.

In Canada and most European...