Functions of

Government
 Objectives: Students will be able to:
• Evaluate the functions of government
• Describe the relationship between citizens and government as stated in the
constitution
 Faith and Learning
• Psalm 57: 2, 3 “I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth
all things for me.
• He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that
would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth”
• Luke 19: 10 “For the son of man is come to seek and to save that which was
lost”
 Introduction
• A government has to manage the goals and aspirations of a country,
implementing policies and regulating activities in such a way as to best serve
the interests of citizens
 Taxation
• Government levy taxes to raise the revenue that provides for spending on
behalf of citizens of the country
• Direct taxation e.g. stamp duty and income tax
• Indirect taxation e.g. Consumption tax, Value Added Tax (VAT) and Airport
Duty
 Social Services
• Welfare payments to those in poverty
• Social security such as national insurance, unemployment benefits and
pensions
• Sanitation, namely the provision of clean water and means of sewage disposal
Infrastructure
 Managing finances
• A government is required to draw up a plan (budget) to show how revenue
will be raised and spent
• Effectively manage the country’s debt
• Ensure goals of fiscal sustainability are met
 Law and Order
• Pass laws intended to enhance peaceful and lawful living
• Maintain courts and to punish criminals and wrongdoers and to settle
disputes
• Employ police to enforce laws and to protect people and property
 Employment
• Directly: by employing people in civil service and statutory organizations
• Indirectly: by creating a favourable economic climate in which private
enterprises will be established or grow
 International Relations
• International relations are undertaken by individual countries and as a group
within CARICOM. A part of maintaining international relations is to
exchange ambassadors with other countries
 Defence
• Governments are also concerned about the defence of their country from
external aggression, and about the country’s internal security
• To achieve these aims, a country may have its own armed forces or a defence
force of some kind
 The relationship between citizens and
government
•
 Constitution
• A constitution is a set of fundamental principles according to which a
country is governed and which includes laws and guidelines that ensure that
the constitution is upheld
 Constitution
• A constitution is a contract between the citizens and their government to
• The structure of government
• The power of the executive, legislative and judiciary
• Rights, freedoms and responsibilities of citizens
• Method of choosing a government
• Conditions of citizenship
• Role of the civil service
 Rights
• Right to life
• Right to vote
• Right to security
• Right to education
• Right to liberty
• Right to a fair trial
• Right to ow property
 Freedoms
• Speech
• Association and assembly
• Movement
• Conscience
• religion
 Constitution
• The constitution is the supreme law of the Commonwealth Caribbean
countries and is enforced by the courts.
• Some parts of the constitution may be changed by a referendum, which
means every eligible citizen may vote on the proposed change
 Citizen’s responsibilities
• Obeying laws
• Paying taxes
• Protecting public property
• Assisting police in maintaining law and order
• Serving on a jury when requested
• Participating in elections
 Role of the Ombudsman
• An ombudsman is an official who his appointed to investigate complaints
made by citizens against public authorities and to ensure that citizen’s
interests are not abused
• Allows victims of poor performance, if not illegal, to seek redress in court
• Defends human rights, resolve conflicts between citizens and bureaucracy
and ensures transparency and good governance
 The essentials of good governance
• Good governance refers to how public affairs are conducted and how public
resources are managed in order to obtain the best results for a country’s
citizens and to ensure that human rights are upheld
 Participation
• Good governance relies on citizen’s participation
Independence of the judiciary
 Transparency
• This has to do openness, good communication and accountability
• Seen as a means of limiting corruption in government
 Accountability
• The government, its ministers and civil servants are accountable to the
public, to parliament and to the judiciary.
Responsiveness to the needs of citizens
 Access to information
• Encourages transparency and accountability
• Allows for greater public participation in government decision making
process
• Strengthens democracy
• Means of tackling corruption
 Prudent use of resources
• Physical resources
• Human resources
• Financial resources
 Efficient civil service
• Making maximum use of new technologies
• Employing well qualified personnel who receive ongoing training
• Carrying out regular monitoring of performance