ABSTRACT
There are two models or conceptions of the primary function of modern governments. We call one the service model. According to this model, the function of government is to provide services and to reconcile conflicting interests among groups and individuals. David Apter uses the term reconciliation system to describe the “secular-libertarian” form of authority that generally characterizes such a state (Apter 1965:25). He contrasts it with what he calls a mobilization system characterized by a “sacred collectivity” form of authority. This fits, with some modification, what we call a visionary model. In this model, government has a predetermined vision or goal, and its primary function is to educate and mobilize on the vision’s behalf. The term vision is appropriate because a goal transcends the immediate material needs of the nation’s population, which is conceived as a moral community.
