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.

More on [ Government ]

NPR Topics: Politics

State Welfare Rolls Feel Impact Of Recession
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:21:00 -0400
Welfare caseloads have been going up in most states over the past year, but not in all of them. In fact, cases are going down in some of the hardest-hit areas. That's raised questions about whether the program is an adequate safety net for families in need.
Visiting Sen. Grassley At Home in Iowa
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:00:00 -0400
Congress returns to Washington next week with health care on its mind. President Obama and the Democrats agree with Republicans that legislation overhauling health care should be bipartisan. And there may be no stronger advocate for bipartisanship on health care than Senator Chuck Grassley, the top Republican on the Finance Committee.
'It's All Politics': NPR's Weekly News Roundup
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400
In the latest political podcast, NPR Washington Editor Ron Elving and Political Editor Ken Rudin discuss Al Franken and the myth of the 60-vote Senate majority.

Subscribe to Government RSS feed