Benevolent Administration: The Roles of Government

_{Photo by Aaron Kittredge}

The premise of a benevolent administration is anchored on the idea that a government should always be on the lookout for and prioritize the welfare of its citizens. As it is, few people actually trust their government a hundred percent. This is not without justification. Time and time again, we are inured with news reports of corruption and the like. With the world as it is now, why should you give your all to any government?

Thus, it is important that we adopt the philosophy of benevolent administration. When we identify the government’s role as a caretaker of the people first and foremost, we bring about a government whose actual role IS to be a caretaker to its people first and foremost.

The Roles of Government

The sheer size of a government is proportionate to the size of its population. The more people there are, the larger the government has to be—this is just a fact.

Because of this, the daily upkeep of many essential services falls under its purview. Most governments in the world today (although some may not be aware of it) oversee a lot of essential services. Governments are in charge of a wide array of public goods and facilities—without which, the relatively good lives we live would not be possible.

Access to quality healthcare, access to a good education, access to affordable housing, all these and more are because of the government. These are essential pillars in the continuation of a healthy and productive citizenry. A government that ignores these in favor of its own intrigues and agendas will quickly find an unsatisfied populace.

_{Photo by History in HD}

Benevolent Administration: Promoting an Economy

The foundation of a modern functional society is its economy. If the economy is veering downward, it probably means that something really bad is happening or is going to happen to that society. Without a working economy, you don’t have a working government, and without a working government, society quickly breaks down.

As such, benevolent administration would tell prospective leaders that a government should always work to keep its economy afloat (at the minimum) and rising (the ideal situation). This can be done in many ways, the most important of which are the creation of a competitive market, the provision of incentives, and the investment into research and development.

Benevolent Administration: Maintaining Law and Order

Another important executive function of a government is to maintain law and order. The establishment of a safe and secure space is essential for the propagation of everything else. If the citizenry doesn’t feel safe and secure, their trust and hope falter, and it is more likely than not that they will stop themselves from engaging with society as a whole. What this means is that the economy stumbles due to the lack of stimulation, and society becomes almost akin to a free-for-all wherein everyone keeps to themselves.

As such, a benevolent administration should do its utmost to address the daily concerns of its citizens, especially regarding crime and criminality. This can be achieved by weeding out corruption both on the national and local level, empowering police to do their job while reining them in, and always placing justice as a compass for action.

Fostering Good Governance

For benevolent administration to take hold, good governance is the secret sauce. As citizens of a nation, we should always strive to promote transparency, accountability, and participation.

Of course, while it is incumbent on everyone to work diligently to realize a better world is possible, the government should be the entity to spearhead such a radical change in thinking—this is only possible if there is a clear and present need for it, and that means showing our governments that we demand and deserve a benevolent administration.

While this article has been all about what a good government can do, what happens when it doesn’t? What happens to the nation when the very entity that was established to protect it grows rotten from within?

_{Photo by Jonathan Simcoe}

Bruce N. Ball is an author of mystery thriller books with government stings, and Quinn’s Dilemma is a gritty examination of the stakes that come when a government thinks it deserves to screw around with the citizenry.

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