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A government is the governing body of a country or state. The term is also used more generally to refer to the organization that rules a specific type of entity, such as a company, nonprofit or sports team. Governments typically have a constitution that defines their designation, mission and powers.

In general, the duties of a government include making laws and providing services that are essential to society, such as education and healthcare. Governments may also protect property rights to ensure that no one else can profit from private inventions and other forms of creativity. The role of the government can also help manage externalities (negative side effects that impact third parties, such as pollution).

There are many different types of governments. They differ in how the people in a nation choose to rule, which is based on whether the power rests with one person or a group of individuals (monarchy or oligarchy), all of the people (direct democracy or representative democracy) or some combination of both.

The responsibilities of the federal government are outlined in the Constitution, which assigns Congress responsibility for organizing the executive and judicial branches, raising taxes, declaring war, and making all laws needed to execute those responsibilities. The president has the right to veto legislation, but Congress can override a presidential veto by passing the same piece of legislation again with a two-thirds majority vote.

In addition to these responsibilities, the government also has other duties like managing foreign policy, maintaining national security and providing public goods and services. These services are often financed by tax money, and citizens vote to elect their representatives to city councils, state legislatures and Congress to make decisions about how to spend the money they have been given.

In the United States, for example, the federal government allocates funds to such things as education, police and fire departments, and maintenance of roads and parks. The government also raises money to pay for things such as national defense, social security and Medicare. Governments at all levels can be involved in the economy by regulating how businesses can operate, such as by limiting monopolies or imposing safety standards on cars and other products. They can also be active in the economy by investing directly in projects and industries. However, this has become more limited in recent decades as more and more Americans have moved away from the belief that government should be the primary driver of the economy.