ABSTRACT
The Institution of Government Remember that pivotal institutions revolve around important human needs. One fundamental prerequisite of humans as biological organisms is a daily supply of water and food and some covering and shelter from the elements. Just as important and urgent is the need to be able to live in a sufficiently orderly environment, protected from outside enemies. In small groups, these needs are satisfied simply and without much conflict. When small groups of individuals become hundreds, matters become more complex. That is, when food is grown and not simply gathered, when objects are manufactured not simply found-in short, when clans or tribes settle into a permanent lifestyle-then a process must be instituted for making important decisions for the benefit of the group. This process consists of organizational patterns of behavior that eventually crystallize into the institutions of the economy and government. In turn, these patterns and their organization are shaped and buttressed by the ideologies prevalent in each society.
