Government is the institution that provides stability to society, essential goods and services, and a structure for citizens to make their needs and opinions known. Around the world, governments vary widely in their look and function, but they all share the same central role of leading and protecting their people. Governments take on the challenge of addressing today’s toughest challenges, like climate change, terrorism, and pandemics. Where your country falls on the political spectrum between democracies and authoritarian regimes determines whether you have more or less say in the decisions that affect you.

In the United States, we live under a constitutional republic with three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial. The President can declare executive orders, and the judicial branch interprets laws and decides if they violate the Constitution. The legislative branch, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, approves (gives “advice and consent”) presidential nominees for judicial positions and department secretaries and initiates legislation to raise revenue. The judicial and legislative branches also have an important system of checks and balances that prevent any one branch from abusing its power.

State and local governments, which are the smallest units of government, typically oversee police departments and schools. They also may make laws to raise money by imposing taxes on income, property, and sales. These bodies usually draft budgets to decide how the revenue they collect will be spent for services.