Introduction
Government is a form of a political system where political decisions are administered by a group of people. Government can also be defined as the group of people with authority to rule over a specific territory, city, or country. Depending on the type of group in power and the distribution of power, the government can be described as democratic, monarchical, communist, or autocratic.
Discussion
The United States uses a federal government form that unites multiple states with their local governments under one central government. The United States federal government can also be characterized by representative democracy, the distribution of power among the three branches (legislative, judicial, and executive), and the use of the Constitution as the foundation for the laws. The government’s efficiency depends on the successful fulfillment of its main functions, which include protecting the interests of the nation’s people, their security, and maintaining economic stability. However, in a representative democracy, the government’s efficiency is determined by the participation of informed citizens (Krutz & Waskiewicz, 2019). Thus, the government’s effectiveness depends on the interests of the people in power and the degree of the population’s involvement.
Political thinking refers to the individual’s ability to collect and process information about a political issue to form their personal opinion. The development of political thinking among the citizens can significantly increase the government’s effectiveness with more accurate expressions of the nation’s interests. However, many barriers, such as the manipulation of public opinion in the media and the spread of false information, deprive people of the desire to develop political thinking skills. Civil dialogue promotes an exchange of views on political issues in an environment that respects diversity and equality. Developing the population’s political thinking can support more opportunities for civic dialogues, cultivating the nation’s civic engagement.
Conclusion
Civic engagement is essential because it allows different groups of society to express their interests, increasing the effectiveness of the government’s work. Lastly, without civic engagement, the government will not receive enough information about the people’s interests, resulting in slower development of society.
Reference
Krutz, G., & Waskiewicz, S. (2019). American Government (3rd ed. ). OpenStax.