limited government

(noun)

In a limited government, the power of government to intervene in the exercise of civil liberties is restricted by law, usually in a written constitution. It is a principle of classical liberalism, free market libertarianism, and some tendencies of liberalism and conservatism in the United States.

Related Terms

Examples of limited government in the following topics:

  • Limited Government

    • In a limited government, the power of government to intervene in the exercise of civil liberties is restricted by constitutional law.
    • A constitutionally limited government is a system of government that is bound to certain principles of action by a state constitution.
    • The United States of America, a constitutionally limited republic, is an example of a constitutionally limited government.
    • The Constitution limits the power of the government in several ways.
    • Limited government exists where some effective limits restrict governmental power.

  • Constitutional Limits

    • The United States adheres to the principles of a constitutionally limited government in the three branches of government.
    • A constitutionally limited government is a system of government that is bound to certain principles of action by a state constitution.
    • An example of a constitutionally limited government is the United States of America, which is a constitutionally limited republic.
    • Most generally, it is "a complex of ideas, attitudes, and patterns of behavior elaborating the principle that the authority of government derives from and is limited by a body of fundamental law."
    • In the United States Constitution , several articles and sections describe and specify the limits set upon the federal and state governments in the Union.

  • Problems of Long-Run Government Debt

    • Government debt limits future government actions and can be hard to pay off because Congressmen are unwilling to do what is necessary to pay down the debt.
    • This means generating a government surplus by cutting expenses and raising taxes.
    • To pay off the debt, the government must maintain a certain level of income.
    • This could limit the government's ability to pursue expansionary fiscal policies to address future recessions.
    • Publicly issued debt is one means governments use to fund expansionary fiscal policy.

  • State Initiatives Against Affirmative Action

    • States and the federal government have argued about the appropriate implementation of affirmative action policies.
    • States sought to limit the reach of federal policies regulating employment standards.
    • Thus, one can see that affirmative action policies and programs have gone back and forth between the states and federal government, typically with state voters trying to limit the reach of affirmative action and the federal government insisting on implementation.
    • State referenda have been the most successful way for opponents of affirmative action to limit its reach.
    • Assess the relationship between states and the federal government in matters related to affirmative action

  • Government Failure

    • Government failure can be described as providing "only limited help in prescribing therapies for government success. "
    • A government failure is not the failure of the government to enact a solution to a failure, but rather it is a systematic problem that prevents an efficient government solution to the problem.
    • Government spending also crowds out private spending.
    • Government corruption leads to both market and government failure.
    • This graph shows the layers of the government.

  • Congressional Terms and Term Limits

    • Term Limits, Inc. v.
    • Term Limits was the largest private organization pushing for Congressional term limits.
    • Defeated in Congress and overridden by the Supreme Court, this populist uprising was brought to a halt for the purpose of reforming the federal government.
    • The term limits intended simultaneously to reform legislatures remain in fifteen states.
    • Summarize the attempts to impose term limits on Senators and Representatives

  • Forms of Government

    • A form of government, or form of state governance, refers to the set of political institutions by which a government of a state is organized (synonyms include "regime type" and "system of government").
    • Governments consist of two broad interplaying elements that generally determine how a government is coded: the power source and the power structure.
    • After World War II, many governments in Latin America, Asia, and Africa were ruled by autocratic governments.
    • In an absolute monarchy, the ruler has no limits on their wishes or powers.
    • In a constitutional monarchy a ruler's powers are limited by a document called a constitution.

  • "We the People"

    • However, because it represents a general social contract, there are limits on the ability of individual citizens to pursue legal claims arising from the Constitution.
    • The Court has recognized the federal government's supreme power over those limited matters entrusted to it.
    • The federal government exercises its supreme power not as a unitary entity, but instead via the three coordinate branches of the government (legislative, executive, and judicial), each of which has its own prescribed powers and limitations under the Constitution.
    • In addition, the doctrine of separation of powers functions as a limitation on each branch of the federal government's exercise of sovereign power.
    • However, each state's sovereignty is limited by the U.S.

  • The Party in Government

    • A majority government is a government formed by a governing party that has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament.
    • A majority government is a government formed by a governing party that has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system.
    • This is the first true coalition government in the UK since World War II.
    • Earlier in the 20th century, divided government was rare, but since the 1970s it has become increasingly common.
    • Some conservative and libertarian groups see divided government as beneficial, since it may encourage more policing of those in power by the opposition, as well as limiting spending and the expansion of undesirable laws.

  • Dictatorship and Totalitarianism

    • Dictatorships govern without consent of the people and in totalitarian dictatorships the power to govern extends to all aspects of life.
    • Dictatorship is a form of government in which the ruler has the power to govern without consent of those being governed.
    • Totalitarian governments are those that exert total control over the governed; they regulate nearly every aspect of public and private behavior.
    • Totalitarianism entails a political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority, and it strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible.
    • In this sense, dictatorship (government without people's consent) exists in contrast with democracy (government whose power comes from people) and totalitarianism (where government controls every aspect of people's lives) exists in contrast with pluralism (where government allows multiple lifestyles and opinions) .