A form of government (also referred to as a system of government) is a social institution composed of various people, institutions and their relations in regard to the governance (or government) of a state. Different forms of government have different types of political systems. Alternate meanings: People (magazine); surat an-Nas (The People) in the Quran. ... An institution is a group, tenet, maxim, or organization created by a group of humans. ... In mathematics, a relation is a generalization of arithmetic relations such as = and < which occur in statements such as 5 < 6 or 2 + 2 = 4. See relation (mathematics), binary relation and relational algebra. ... Although the term governance is often used synonymously with the term government it tends rather to be used to describe the processes and systems by which a government or governor operate. ... A government is an organization that has the power to make and enforce laws for a certain territory. ... This article discusses states as sovereign political entities. ... A form of government (also referred to as a system of government or a political system) is a system composed of various people, institutions and their relations in regard to the governance of a state. ...

A wide range of different forms of government have been proposed or used in practice. (See List of forms of government). The study of such forms is called civics or comparative government. Please note that there is often a strong correlation between certain ideologies, political systems and economic systems (for example, consider the meanings of the term communism). ... Civics is the science of comparative government and means of administering public trusts - the theory of governance as applied to state institutions. ... Comparative government or comparative politics is the field of political science that focuses on comparing the varying forms of government in different settings, especially the governments of different states and nations, though it may also compare governments across different periods of history. ...

Categorising forms of government in this way gives a general idea of the power structure of the governance of a country. However, the picture is more complicated than this, as every country’s system is unique, and in practice many represent a hybrid of different forms of government. For example, a system generally seen as a representative democracy (for instance Canada and the United States) may in fact also include include measures providing for a degree of direct democracy in the form of referenda, for deliberative democracy in the form of the extensive processes required for constitutional change, and investigating committees and commissions (which may not be led by representatives). A hierarchy (in Greek hieros = sacred, arkho = rule) is a system of ranking and organizing things. ... This article describes a type of political entity. ... Representative democracy comprises a form of democracy and theory of civics wherein voters choose (in free, secret, multi-party elections) representatives to act in their interests, but not as their proxies—i. ... Canada is a sovereign state in northern North America, the northern-most country in the world, and the second largest in total area. ... Direct democracy comprises a form of democracy and theory of civics wherein all citizens can directly participate in the decision-making process. ... A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ... Deliberative democracy, also sometimes called discursive democracy, is a term used by political theorists, e. ...

A further complication is that a number of political systems originate as socio-economic movements and are then carried into governments by specific parties naming themselves after those movements. Experience with those movements in power, and the strong ties they may have to particular forms of governmental control, can cause them to be considered as forms of government in themselves. Some examples are as follows: A political party is a political organization subscribing to a certain ideology or formed around very special issues. ...

• Perhaps the most widely cited example of such a phenomenon is the communist movement. This is an example of where the resulting political systems may diverge from the original socio-economic ideologies from which they developed. This may mean that adherents of the ideologies are actually opposed to the political systems commonly associated with them. For example, activists describing themselves as Trotskyists or communists are often opposed to the communist states of the 20th century.

• Islam as a political movement is also often included on a list of movements that have deep implications for the form of government. Indeed, many nations in the Islamic World use the term Islamic in the name of the state. However, these governments in practice exploit a range of different mechanisms of power (for example debt and appeals to nationalism). This means that there is no single form of government that could be described as “Islamic” government. Islam as a political movement is therefore better seen as a loose grouping of related political practices rather than a single, coherent political movement.

• The basic principles of many other popular movements have deep implications for the form of government those movements support and would introduce if they came to power. For example, bioregional democracy is a pillar of green politics.

Communism is a term that can refer to one of several things: a social and economic system, an ideology which supports that system, or a political movement that wishes to implement that system. ... An ideology is a collection of ideas. ... Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. ... This article is about one-party states ruled by Communist Parties. ... Islam as a political movement has a diverse character that has at different times incorporated elements of many other political movements, while simultaneously adapting the religious views of Islamic fundamentalism. ... The Islamic world is the world-wide community of all believers in Islam, who are known as Muslims, and who number approximately one-and-a-half billion people. ... Debt is that which is owed. ... Nationalism is an ideology that creates and sustains a nation as a concept of a common identity for groups of humans. ... Bioregional democracy (or the Bioregional State) is a set of Electoral Reforms designed to force the political process in a democracy to better represent body and environment concerns, e. ... Green politics is a body of political ideas informed by environmentalism aimed at developing a sustainable society. ...

See also

• Government
• List of forms of government.
• Civics
• Comparative government
• Countries by system of government

A government is an organization that has the power to make and enforce laws for a certain territory. ... Please note that there is often a strong correlation between certain ideologies, political systems and economic systems (for example, consider the meanings of the term communism). ... Civics is the science of comparative government and means of administering public trusts - the theory of governance as applied to state institutions. ... Comparative government or comparative politics is the field of political science that focuses on comparing the varying forms of government in different settings, especially the governments of different states and nations, though it may also compare governments across different periods of history. ... This is a list of countries categorized by system of government currently in use. ...

External links

• Types of Governments from Historical Atlas of the 20th Century (http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/20c-govt.htm)
• Other classifications examples from Historical Atlas of the 20th Century (http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/othergov.htm)