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.

  • Checking the Power of the Governing Party

    • The legislative branch can significantly affect the power of the governing party by employing a series of checks and balances.
    • The Democratic and Republican Parties can check the power of the governing party by holding seats in the legislative branch of the government.
    • The legislative branch of the United States government is composed of the Senate and House of Representatives.
    • The legislative branch can also check the governing party by starting investigations against the executive branch.
    • The tendency of the Democratic Party to embrace a more active government role in the lives of citizens versus the tendency of the Republican Party to favor limited government intervention in citizens' lives, highlights the difficulties that arise when a divided government exists.

  • 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

  • The New Deal: Cooperative Federalism and the Growth of the National Government

    • The New Deal: Cooperative Federalism and the Growth of the National Government
    • In the American federal system, there are limitations on national government's ability to carry out its policies through the executive branch of state governments.
    • While the federal system places limits on the ability of the national government to require implementation by a state executive branch or its local political subdivisions, that limitation does not apply in the same way to state judicial systems.
    • The Congress Building of the United States is the seat of national or federal government which governs cooperatively with state and local government.
    • Describe how the federal government works with the states under a model of cooperative federalism

  • 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

  • Federalism

    • Federalism in the United States is the evolving relationship between U.S. state governments and the federal government of the United States.
    • Originally, federalism was the most influential political movement arising out of discontent with the Articles of Confederation, which focused on limiting the authority of the federal government.
    • Each sphere is mutually equal, exclusive, and limiting upon the other sphere, and each entity is supreme within its own sphere.
    • The national government was forced to cooperate with all levels of government to implement the New Deal policies; local government earned an equal standing with the other layers, as the federal government relied on political machines at a city level to bypass state legislatures.
    • Previously, the federal government had granted money to the states categorically, limiting the states to use this funding for specific programs.

  • The Powers of National Government

    • It is based on the principle of federalism, where power is shared between the federal government and state governments.
    • Also, states' rights proponents have succeeded in limiting federal power through legislative action, executive prerogative, or constitutional interpretation by the courts.
    • Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government.
    • Since the United States was formed, many disputes have arisen over the limits on the powers of the federal government in the form of lawsuits ultimately decided by the Supreme Court.
    • The President is limited to a maximum of two four-year terms.

  • 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.

  • 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.