Governments around the world serve a variety of purposes. The most important role they play is to maintain strict security at national borders and within their country, while protecting citizens’ safety and providing the infrastructure for transportation. Governments also provide many other services that would be difficult or impossible for individuals or private companies to offer on their own, such as education, health care and housing. The exact nature of the functions that governments perform depends on the specific political system in place, but most countries have a few common goals, including economic prosperity and secure borders.

In most modern societies, the type of government in place depends on the views and input of citizens. The main types of modern political systems are democracies, totalitarian regimes and a range of authoritarian and hybrid regimes.

At the local, state and federal level, governments are responsible for creating laws and enforcing them. They also distribute funds, such as taxes and unemployment benefits. They provide goods and services that are essential to society, such as food, water, air and healthcare. These are known as public goods or “non-rivaling” services because they cannot be offered by any one person or company without affecting the availability of these services for everyone else (for example, if a house catches fire, the firefighters don’t ask to be paid before coming in and extinguishing the flames).

Governments also play a crucial role in managing externalities. They have the ability to influence the behavior of people and businesses through regulations that help prevent harmful activities, such as overfishing or climate change. They can also drive economic growth by investing in certain sectors of the economy and promoting their development. They can also manage negative externalities, such as social inequality or market failures, by redistributing resources to those in need.

It is also the government’s job to protect citizens, which they do through the police and military. They can also make sure that the rights of all citizens are protected, such as freedom of speech and the right to vote. This protection is particularly important in countries with democratic governments, such as the United States, that ensure citizens’ right to free and fair elections.

Another important function of governments is preventing the formation of gangs or other groups that are likely to cause conflicts. This is accomplished through law enforcement and a system of judicial justice that serves all citizens equally and fairly. Governments must also ensure that people do not interfere with each other’s property and that they are not stealing from each other.

Governments may also be involved in social issues, such as limiting the impact of technology on privacy, reducing discrimination and encouraging civility. They might even encourage citizens to volunteer or donate to charities and other social organizations, such as homeless shelters and women’s centers.