GCE Government 2022 Theory — Question 4

Model answer

- A state has a permanent status while government, on the other hand, is transient. It comes and goes. - A state is a territorial association of people with defined boundaries while a government is an administrative institution of the state. - Membership of a state is compulsory while membership of a government is optional. - A state is an abstract concept while government and its officials are tangible. - A state is a larger entity while government is relatively a smaller institution within the state. - A state depends on the government to carry out its activities while government is the machinery through which the functions of the state are performed. - The state is sovereign while government is not sovereign. - States are identical in their features while Governments differ from state to state. - The emergence of the state has different theories while the emergence of government has one central justification. - Every state possesses a legal status/constitution whereas government in power enforces the constitution. - A state is a fixed entity whereas government and its officials are not fixed.