Government

===Democracy===
{{Main|Democracy|Types of democracy}}
[[File:Democracy claims.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|{{ubl|{{legend|green|National governments which self-identify as democracies}}|{{legend|red|National governments which do not self-identify as democracies}}}}]]
[[File:Electoral democracies.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|Governments recognised as "electoral democracies" {{as of|2022|lc=yes}} by the ''[[Freedom in the World]]'' survey{{efn|Conducted by American [[think tank]] [[Freedom House]], which is largely funded by the [[US government]].}}]]

Democracy is a system of government where [[citizen]]s exercise power by [[Vote|voting]] and [[Deliberative democracy|deliberation]]. In a [[direct democracy]], the citizenry as a whole directly forms a [[Participatory democracy|participatory]] governing body and vote directly on each issue. In [[indirect democracy]], the citizenry governs indirectly through the selection of [[Representative democracy|representatives]] or [[Delegated voting|delegates]] from among themselves, typically by [[election]] or, less commonly, by [[sortition]]. These select citizens then meet to form a governing body, such as a legislature or [[jury]].

Some governments combine both direct and indirect democratic governance, wherein the citizenry selects representatives to administer day-to-day governance, while also reserving the right govern directly through [[popular initiative]]s, [[referendum]]s (plebiscites), and the [[Recall election|right of recall]]. In a [[constitutional democracy]] the powers of the majority are exercised within the framework of a representative democracy, but the constitution limits [[majority rule]], usually through the provision by all of certain [[universal right]]s, such as [[freedom of speech]] or [[freedom of association]].<ref>''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'': "democracy".</ref><ref name="britannica">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Democracy |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |publisher=William Benton |date=1970 |edition=Expo '70 hardcover |volume=7 |pages=215–223 |language=en |isbn=978-0-85229-135-1 |last1=Watkins |first1=Frederick}}</ref>

==== Republics ====
{{Main|Republic}}

A republic is a form of government in which the country is considered a "public matter" ({{lang-la|res publica}}), not the private concern or property of the rulers, and where offices of states are subsequently directly or indirectly elected or appointed rather than inherited. The people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people.{{sfn|Montesquieu|1748|loc=book 2, chapters 1}}<ref name="Britannica">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Republic |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica}}{{full citation needed|date=July 2022}}<!--Author? Edition?--></ref>

A common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of state is not a monarch.<ref name="WordNet">{{Cite journal |title=republic |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/republic |url-status=live |journal=WordNet 3.0 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090312065659/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/republic |archive-date=12 March 2009 |access-date=20 March 2009}}</ref><ref name="M-W">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Republic |encyclopedia=Merriam-Webster |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/republic |access-date=14 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612162708/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/republic |archive-date=12 June 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Montesquieu]] included both [[democracy|democracies]], where all the people have a share in rule, and [[aristocracy|aristocracies]] or [[oligarchy|oligarchies]], where only some of the people rule, as republican forms of government.{{sfn|Montesquieu|1748|loc=book 2, chapters 2–3}}

Other terms used to describe different republics include [[democratic republic]], [[parliamentary republic]], [[semi-presidential republic]], [[presidential republic]], [[federal republic]], [[people's republic]], and [[Islamic republic]].

==== Federalism ====
{{Main|Federalism}}

Federalism is a political concept in which a ''group'' of members are bound together by [[Covenant (law)|covenant]] with a governing [[Federal headship|representative head]]. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of government in which [[sovereignty]] is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and constituent political units, variously called states, provinces or otherwise. Federalism is a system based upon democratic principles and institutions in which the power to govern is shared between national and provincial/state governments, creating what is often called a [[federation]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Cane |first1=Peter |title=The new Oxford companion to law |last2=Conaghan |first2=Joanne |date=2008 |publisher=Oxford university press |isbn=978-0-19-929054-3 |location=Oxford |chapter=Federalism}}</ref> Proponents are often called [[federalist]]s.