The three functions, and four questions

Like the school committee, a government must make rules, carry them out, and make sure everyone follows them. These are the three functions of government:

An example: during an epidemic, a law says everyone must wear a mask in public. The legislature makes that law. The executive puts it into action (for example, police and officials make sure people follow it). If there's a dispute (say, someone says the rule is unfair, or two states disagree), the judiciary decides.

Make, do, check. Every government does all three. What changes is who does them, and whether one body does more than one.

Abraham Lincoln, a US president in the late 1800s, called democracy 'government of the people, by the people, for the people', words still used today.

Governments change over time, and each country has its own history, culture and hopes, so governments differ. The book gives four questions to ask about any government:

1. Who decides 'this is the government'? Where does its authority come from? In a democracy like India, from the people. In a theocracy, from religious beliefs and the head of a religious institution.

2. How is it formed? In a democracy, usually by elections. In kingdoms, usually someone from the royal family takes over.

3. What are its parts, and what do they do? The three functions may be done by separate bodies or the same one. The rules for this may be written in a constitution (a book of a country's basic rules), as in most democracies, or decided by the king or queen, as in monarchies.

4. What is it working for? India's government is designed for equality and prosperity for all; some others only for a few families or groups.