Functions of Government
Defining Activities
Jennifer Osorio
Banning High, Los Angeles USD
USC CALIS Teacher Associate
Presentation for Constitution Day 2014
Directions
• Fold your paper in ½.
• Copy the slides in the left column
• Write your questions, connections and
answers to the questions in the right column.
• Complete a summary at the end of the
PowerPoint
• Do the current event assignment at the end of
the presentation
Functions of Government
Defining Activities
• There are things that all governments and
governance structures must be able to
accomplish. These exist at all levels; your
family, your social group, your classrooms and
school, the state and the country.
• Failure to do any of these activities will result
in a government being fragile and susceptible
to being overthrown or the citizens’ security
and prosperity threatened at least.
Functions of Government
Defining Activities
1. Border Security
• What: Ability to regulate who and what comes in
and out of a territory.
• Why: Border security must exist to ensure people
feel safe and so they can prosper. Regulating who
comes in and out is important to prevent the
resources of a territory from being depleted,
harmful people and goods from endangering the
population and to prevent the government from
being overthrown due to invasion.
1. Border Security
• National & International: guns going into
Mexico have created a crisis where people are
unsafe and prosperity is unattainable. The
same with the drugs that come from Mexico
to the U.S. create violence due to the gangs
that battle for distribution territory and the
desperation that often results in theft to
obtain the drugs.
1. Border Security
• Classroom: You have all been in classes that
are out of control. Students coming in and
out as they please and students who do not
belong in the class and are not there to learn.
This can be very disruptive to the function of
learning if the teacher is unable to enforce
border security or if they must devote the
majority of their time to it.
Functions of Government
Defining Activities
2. Rule of Law
• What: The ability to make rules and enforce
those rules.
• Why: Government must have the authority
and power to regulate the behavior of the
citizens for the greater good.
2. Rule of Law
• National & International: Countries that are
unable to enforce the rule of law may be due
to a lack of people, organizations or training.
It may be due to corruption which creates a
multi-tier citizenry with some having to abide
by the rules and some above the rules. Lastly
it may be that citizens have revoked their
consent to be governed.
2. Rule of Law
• Classroom: You give a relevant example
Functions of Government
Defining Activities
3. Means of Exchange
• What: Existence of an economy where goods and
services are produced and exchanged so people
have the opportunity to satisfy their basic needs
and accumulate wealth.
• Why: When economies do not function or when
many people are left out of the economic activity,
you have people who live in poverty, hunger and
will not support the government and steal from
those who are more economically successful
3. Means of Exchange
• National/International: The Arab Spring
began because of a lack of economic
opportunity within Tunisia and provoked a
man to self-immolate out of desperation that
spurred protests and caused the overthrow of
the Tunisian Government.
3. Means of Exchange
• Classroom: You give a relevant example
Functions of Government
Defining Activities
4. System of Justice
• What: The ability for the government to
administer consequences that act as a
deterrent to violating the rule of law.
• Why: If people know there will be no
consequences for breaking rules and violating
social norms, many people will do so. This
creates instability where some gain advantage
because they don’t feel the need to uphold
the standards of society.
4. System of Justice
• National/International: Murder is illegal, yet
in many people’s opinions Trayvon Martin was
murdered by George Zimmerman. Since this
precedent was set, how many more people
will make the self-defense claim in Florida to
get away with murder?
4. System of Justice
• Classroom: You give a relevant example
Implications
• Failure for a government to do any or all of
these 4 functions will result in domestic
instability.
• Countries unable to provide the 4 functions
are often labeled as Fragile or Failed States.
• They are vulnerable to domestic unrest
leading to an overthrow of the government or
invasion from a stronger state.
Summary
• Write a reflection on what you learned and
what ideas and connections you thought
about while taking notes.
• Find & print an article on a country, state or
city working to provide one of the 4 defining
functions of government.
• Write a summary of the article and explain
how it represents one of the Defining
Activities
Functions of Government
Defining Activities
Accumulation of
Wealth
Redistribution
to function:
to prosper:
to sustain growth & stability:
a. border security
b. rule of law
(law & order)
c. means of exchange
a. build infrastructure
b. exploit resources
c. promote economic
development
a. promote equity and equal
opportunity
- e.g. public education,
college loans
b. assist the disadvantaged e.g. safety nets: welfare
assistance, unemployment
insurance
Developed by Steven Lamy, Professor of International Relations
School of International Relations, USC
Good Governance
In the general sense:
when a government is responsive to the needs of its people
or when it maximizes benefits for the most people
or when it assures that no one is unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged
In specific ways:
► democracy
 people can
bring forth demands and hold govt to account
► respect for human rights  people do not fear reprisal for dissent
► rule of law
 accountability for rogue police or militias, corrupt officials
► transparency  openness to prevent or at least decrease corruption
Developed by Steven Lamy, Professor of International Relations
School of International Relations, USC