Government refers to the system or group of people governing an organized community, often a state. It is the means by which state authority is exercised and includes the institutions, processes, and structures that create and enforce laws, policies, and public services. Governments can take various forms, such as democracies, monarchies, authoritarian regimes, and totalitarian states, each differing in the distribution of power and the role of citizens in decision-making. The primary functions of government typically include maintaining order, providing public goods and services, protecting individual liberties, promoting economic stability, and ensuring national security. The term encapsulates both the formal institutions, like legislatures, executives, and judiciaries, as well as informal mechanisms of governance.