Limiting Government

There are many ways that governments are kept in “check” (limited) so they won’t have too much power.

Consent of the Governed Constitution Minority Rights Rule of Law Checks on Government Consent of the Governed Separation of Power

Constitution A constitution is the rulebook for a country’s government. Here’s how a constitution limits government: Tells how laws are made Sets rules for how the government functions Lists the rights and responsibilities of citizens Most countries have written constitutions

Constitutions limit government by:  Telling how ________ are made laws  Setting ________ for the government rules  Listing the _________ and the _______________ of citizens rights responsibilities

Rule of law means that nobody is above the law. Here’s how the rule of law limits government: The law applies to everyone Even the president must follow the law The government can’t take illegal actions

Rule of Law Check this out: The rule of law is stronger in some countries than it is in others. Strongest (90-100%) Strong (75-90%) Average (50-75%) Weak (25-50%) Weaker (10-25%) Weakest/None(0-10%) 2005 – Worldwide Governance Indicators

The rule of law limits government because:  The law applies to ____________ everyone  Even the ___________ must follow the law President  The government cannot take actions that are _________ illegal

Here’s how separation of power limits government: Separation of power divides power among different branches of government. Here’s how separation of power limits government: No branch has all the power Each branch can “check” (limit) what the other branches do Responsibilities are balanced among the branches

Lots of countries around the world separate power into branches! Check this out: Iceland France Hungary AND MORE! Canada Greece United States Japan Mexico Indonesia Jamaica Fiji Panama Pakistan Chile Morocco Egypt Iran

Separation of power limits government because:  No branch has all the _______ power  Each branch can “________” what the other branches do check  Responsibilities are ___________ among all the branches balanced

Here’s how consent of the governed limits government: Consent of the governed means that the citizens give their permission for the government to operate. Here’s how consent of the governed limits government: Citizens have the right to vote Citizens can use their vote to change how the government is run By voting, citizens could even change the constitution

Citizens in many countries around the world have the right to vote. Check this out: Election Posters from Around the World

Consent of the governed limits government because:  Citizens have the right to________ vote  Citizens can use their vote to __________ how the government is run change  By voting, citizens could even change the ______________ Constitution

Here’s how minority rights limit government: Minority rights give protection of the law to every group of people, no matter how small. Here’s how minority rights limit government: Everyone’s rights are protected Nobody is too unimportant to be treated equally under the law Even unpopular groups must be treated fairly

Minority rights limit government because:  Everyone’s rights are ___________ protected  Nobody is too _____________ to be treated equally under the law unimportant  Even ____________ groups must be treated fairly unpopular