Social, economic, religious, and other cultural lives and the political institutions

    Government presents us with the formal institutions through which we live our social, economic, religious, and other cultural lives and the political institutions that men and women use to see to our government. Our textbook describes politics, the process by which our government works, as follows: “Politics centers on actions among a number of people involving influence. How do people get others to do what they wish? How does our society or any group…distribute its valued things, such as wealth, prestige, and security? Who gets these values, and how?” Simply put, politics is the situation of power, which defines “the ability to influence another's [sic] behavior.” This influence can be exerted passively, such as a debate, or through coercive efforts, like putting down a civil war. Fundamentally, the presence of influence, whether exerted by power or not, “involved relationships between people and groups.” So, government is the formal expression of influence .Government as institutions, whether national, state, or local, does two fundamental things. First, people in government determine who will benefit from society’s values, when and how they will benefit from them, and why? Benefits range from public assistance to the right to vote, from national health care insurance to assistance in times of natural disaster. Second, those who are elected, appointed, or hired in government also regulate the use of society’s legitimate force against members or enemies of that society, which is generally done for the benefit of others.