The resources that would otherwise be devoted to complying with regulations can be dedicated instead to more productive uses or to leisure time. Limited government, in its modern conception, originated out of the classical liberal tradition in Europe. This tradition emphasized the rights of the individual and supplanted the age-old notion of subjugation to the state.
The Magna Carta, drafted in the year , is one of the earliest pieces of evidence of a limited government. The document limited the reach of the English king's power by giving the country's nobility rights that they could exercise over the throne. However, the document only protected a small part of what is today the United Kingdom.
The United States Constitution, written in , extended the idea of a limited government by requiring the election of legislators by the people. It also segmented the federal government into three branches: legislative, judicial and executive. Both of these aspects effectively limit the power of the national government. In addition, the Bill of Rights — the first 10 amendments to the U. Constitution, ratified in — enumerates certain prohibitions that apply to the government.
These rights further limit the federal government by forbidding intervention on matters of individual choice such as speech or religion. One of the main elements of a limited government is federalism.
In a federal system, specific powers are given to a centralized government, while others are given to local governments — a system that creates additional checks and balances. In the case of the United States, there is a central government in Washington, D. Any powers not given to the federal government falls to the individual states.
This allows each state to exercise local control while the federal government manages the country as a whole. Limited government favors few, if any, controls, not only on a nation's individuals but on its economy. In this context, the most extreme sort of limited government would be one that lets supply-and-demand forces — Smith's " Invisible Hand " theory — drive the economy; the government does not intervene to alter or influence economic cycles and business activity.
Proponents of this view believe limited government provides the greatest possibility for economic growth and the most equitable distribution of wealth.
Historically, they argue, government-influenced markets tend to be expensive, exclusionary, monopolistic and poorly provisioned — interference with prices creates allocative inefficiencies.
By contrast, when government interaction in the marketplace is limited, the unfettered markets are relatively more competitive, more productive and more responsive to consumer needs.
Critics of limited government argue that the government should control the economy to mitigate the harmful effects of economic ups and downs and that this type of control leads to less income inequality.
Limited government is also often seen as crucial to capitalism. While capitalism may tolerate government influence , it is almost always handicapped and made less productive by it, limited government proponents insist. The process of government action is diametrically opposed to the process of a free market economy : In a free market, businesses and individuals contract or transact on a voluntary basis, whereas a government program operates through sovereign decree — and compliance with its dicta is regulated through force.
In effect, some individuals government officials or those who influence them can introduce change to other individuals without bearing the full costs. How does limited government affect corporate citizenship — that is, the actions and business operations of corporations as they relate to social causes, environmental issues, political justice, and philanthropy?
That depends on the nature of the limited government. It may lack antitrust laws that effectively prevent monopolies and cartels from destroying healthy competition within an industry. Conversely, it may impose regulations that reduce the ability of firms to enter a market effectively or for shareholders to voice their opinions. It may offer tax or other financial tax incentives for corporations to invest in more responsible technologies or techniques.
One government may have a court system that protects local property rights and, by extension, the right of individuals or groups to sue a corporation for polluting a river or emitting too much soot. Another limited government does not provide clear property rights rules, enabling corporations to impose costs on third parties in socially destructive ways.
In a very general sense, smaller governments are less able to force corporations to act in ways that are generally considered ethical. By the same token, smaller governments have less power to encourage corruption. When a government controls or strongly influences business practices, corporations have far more incentive to try to buy that government influence.
Limited government intrusion — economically and socially — works best in societies where private property rights are respected and contracts are enforced, ensuring a high degree of voluntary cooperation. People need property rights to determine resource ownership, cooperate with one another and plan for the future. People also need enforceable contracts to encourage trust, settle disputes, and protect and transfer property rights. Sociologists have also argued that ethnically and religiously homogeneous societies are best able to survive with limited government.
Since , the Fraser Institute — a Canadian independent, nonpartisan research and educational organization — has produced annual reports, ranking countries in terms of how much their policies and institutions are supportive of economic freedom.
It measures limited government by the size of government top marginal tax rates , public spending , the legal system protection of property rights, judicial independence , sound money inflation , freedom to trade internationally tariffs, trade barriers , and regulation of credit markets, labor markets, and businesses. Hong Kong is technically a special administrative region of China, not a country, but it has its own government and a capitalist economy. Hong Kong ranks first in the Fraser Index for having the most limited government and the most economic freedom.
Limited government is arguably one of the reasons why Hong Kong, along with Singapore which ranks second in the Fraser Index , South Korea and Taiwan, is considered one of the four Asian tigers , countries that have experienced strong and rapid economic growth since the s. For example, read the following selections from some of their writings. Then discuss with the class your answers to the questions that follow.
The Founders knew that constitutional government can take many forms. It is possible to have a constitutional government with one ruler, a group of rulers, or rule by the people as a whole, so long as those in power obey the limitations placed on them by the "higher law" of the constitution.
Historically, constitutional governments have included monarchies, republics, democracies, and various combinations of these forms of government. History has shown, however, that problems inevitably arise when a constitutional government is ruled by one person or a small group of people. If all power is given to a select few, it is difficult to ensure that they will obey the limitations placed on them by a constitution.
The rulers in such nations would control the armed forces and law enforcement agencies. How could citizens force the rulers to obey their constitution? Monarchy-rule by a king or queen-was by far the most common form of government in the eighteenth century. The Founders preferred a form of government more broadly representative of the interests of the whole nation.
The most obvious alternative to monarchy was a republic , a model of government with which the Founders were familiar through their knowledge of ancient history. The Founders admired the republics of ancient Greece and Rome. They also had studied more recent examples of republican governments , such as the Italian city-states of the Renaissance and the cantons of Switzerland.
The Founders differed among themselves about exactly what a republican government was. In general it meant a form of government. Today we view republican and democratic government as almost the same thing. The United States, we believe, is both a republic and a democracy. The Founders, however, drew a sharp distinction between the two forms of government.
Democracy had traditionally meant a form of government in which ultimate authority was based on the will of the majority. This majority usually consisted of those classes in the community that had the greatest number of people-it came from the Greek demos , meaning people. These classes tended to be the poorer people. In its purest form, democracy also meant a government in which members participated directly in their own governance instead of through representatives.
The Founders were familiar with democratic institutions. For generations, local government in many of the colonies tended to be democratic in nature. The New England "town meeting" is one example. Based on their reading of history and their own experience, however, the Founders were concerned about democracy as a model for state or national government. Their preference for the republican as opposed to the democratic model of government influenced the framing of the Constitution.
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Email: web civiced. Media Inquiries: cce civiced. Website: www. We the People:The Citizen and the Constitution High School Grades Student Book Purpose of Lesson This lesson introduces you to some basic ideas the Framers used in creating the kind of government they thought would best protect the natural rights of each individual and promote the good of all.
Terms to Know autocracy canton checks and balances city-state common good constitution constitutional government delegate delegated powers democracy dictatorship equal protection higher law limited government private domain republic separation of powers totalitarianism tyranny unwritten constitution written constitution Critical Thinking Exercise Examining Government Protection of the Basic Rights of the People Suppose you are not satisfied with living in a state of nature.
What in your opinion is the main purpose of government? How should government get the authority or right to make laws telling people what they can and cannot do? What should the people have the right to do if their government does not serve the purposes for which it was created? Why should they have this right? How do your answers compare with those of John Locke?
Locke and other natural rights philosophers said that the purpose of government is to protect natural rights. Thomas Jefferson agreed and in the Declaration of Independence argued that the protection of rights is the main purpose of government.
Another of Locke's ideas that Jefferson stated in the Declaration of Independence is that government gets its right to govern from the consent of the people. Its powers are delegated to it by the governed. People give their consent in several ways. People can give explicit consent by agreeing to the contract that establishes the society whose members then establish the government and choose its officers joining a society that already is established People give implicit consent, also called tacit consent, by accepting the laws and services of the government and nation of their birth.
Locke believed that since the people give the power to the government, they have the right to take it away if the government is not serving the purposes for which it was established. They can then create a new government. Locke argued and the Founders agreed that if a government fails to protect the people's rights, the people have a right of revolution.
How do Americans express consent to their government? What is constitutional government? What is a constitution? Striking this delicate balance has been a centuries-long endeavor in Anglo-American history.
Nearly five hundred years later, the Petition of Right , citing the Magna Carta, reminded the king that it was the law, not a king, that protected the rights of Englishmen. Furthermore, liberty interests might supersede kingly authority. It also inspired the English Bill of Rights which contained strict limits to the power of the monarchy and identified certain inalienable political and civil liberties enjoyed by all Englishmen, regardless of royal prerogative.
Locke argued that governmental legitimacy was based on the consent of the governed and on a responsibility to protect natural rights. Further, the very purpose of government is not to rule but to protect those rights. Locke also argued that when a government no longer had the consent of the people, or did not adhere to its proper role of protecting fundamental liberties, then the people have the right to change or overthrow it.
In the Second Treatise of Civil Government , John Locke argued that governmental legitimacy was based on the consent of the governed and on a responsibility to protect natural rights.
Once free of Great Britain and wary of living under a government that possessed too much authority, Americans set out to form a new nation.
The first attempt came in the Articles of Confederation , which adhered very closely to the principle of limited government; perhaps too closely.
It could not adequately tax or regulate foreign and interstate commerce. It had neither an executive nor judicial branch to enforce its laws or mediate disputes. Further, any alterations to the Articles that might address these weaknesses had to be unanimously approved by the states, making changes nearly impossible. By , it became obvious to many that the Confederation government was too limited in its scope and authority, and a convention was called in Philadelphia to address its deficiencies.
What emerged from the Constitutional Convention elevated limited government from mere theory to a practical governing philosophy. Through a series of complex structures, innovations, and mechanisms, the U. Constitution both empowers and limits government, while providing the framework for each successive generation to regulate that balance. Article 1, Section 8 sets out the specific and finite powers that the national government may exercise.
Although Article 1, Section 8 only specifically addresses the legislative or law-making branch of the national government, its enumeration of powers also provides de facto [in fact] limits on the president who enforces the law and on judicial officials who interpret and apply the law as well. Liberty is most threatened when any person or group accumulates too much power.
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