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, "to govern" means to administer or supervise, whether over a state, a set group of people, or a collection of assets.

The word government is derived from the Greek Κυβερνήτης (kyvernites), which means "steersman", "governor", "pilot" or "rudder".

Typically, "the government" refers to the executive function. In many countries (particularly those having parliamentary systems), the Government refers to the executive branch of government or a specifically named executive, i.e. the Blair Government (compare to the administration as in the Clinton administration in U.S. usage). The Welsh Assembly Government is the name of the executive branch of Wales, and Scottish Government is the unofficial term to describe the Scottish Executive. In countries using the Westminster system, the party in government will also usually control the legislature.

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NPR Topics: Politics

The Evolving Role Of The Vice President
Sat, 19 Jul 2008 08:00:00 -0400
Scott Simon talks with vice presidential scholar Joel Goldstein about why and how the role of the vice president has changed.
Independent Groups Step Up On-Air Ads
Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:21:00 -0400
Independent groups have yet to unveil an ad as damaging as the Swift Boat Veterans spot that hurt Sen. John Kerry's presidential bid in 2004. But as the summer goes on, more groups are producing radio and TV spots targeting the presidential race and key Senate battles.
Political Influence-Peddling Gains Finesse
Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:15:00 -0400
These days, influence peddling in politics rarely takes the form of outright bribery. Instead, through political action committees and other means, the identity of donors and recipients of campaign funds are often disguised.

Reuters: Politics

Obama meets U.S. commander in Afghanistan
Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:54:15 -0400
KABUL (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama met the commander of U.S. troops in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday to talk about the war he says is not getting enough attention from the Bush administration.
McCain's Gramm steps down after "whiners" flap
Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:06:48 -0400
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Phil Gramm, an economic adviser to Republican presidential hopeful John McCain, resigned from his campaign on Friday in the fallout over his comment that the United States had become a "nation of whiners."
Clinton vows to fight "insulting" abortion plan
Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:58:48 -0400
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Bush administration plan to define several widely used contraception methods as abortion is a "gratuitous, unnecessary insult" to women and faces tough opposition, Sen. Hillary Clinton said on Friday.

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