What Is the Role of Government in Society?
In a world increasingly defined by individualism and market logic, the role of government in society can feel opaque or even adversarial. But as Michael Lewis argues in Who Is Government?, we misunderstand government not because it lacks importance, but because it lacks a compelling storyteller. Government isn’t the face on your TV screen. It is the invisible scaffolding behind modern life—the public servant who ensures food is safe, data is accurate, competition is fair, and civil liberties are upheld.
At its core, the government exists for one reason: to enable collective action for the common good. No matter how rich, smart, or connected an individual is, they cannot pave roads alone, fight pandemics solo, or regulate a financial system built on trust and transparency. These are public goods—and government is their steward.
1. Government as the Provider of Public Goods
From bridges to broadband, clean air to clean data, the government provides the infrastructure—both literal and institutional—that underpins a functioning society. In The Hidden Wealth of Government, we explored how services that seem invisible (like statistical agencies or public safety inspectors) are, in fact, the very things that make our lives predictable and secure.
Michael Lewis underscores this idea when he notes how the CPI (Consumer Price Index) isn’t just a number; it’s a symbol of national ambition: “The United States is an Enlightenment project based on the supremacy of reason.” (Lewis)
Too often, we take these services for granted. Clean drinking water, functioning highways, food safety inspections, and disaster response systems are all orchestrated by professionals we rarely see. And when those systems falter—as in a water crisis or a collapsed bridge—we are reminded, often tragically, of how essential and irreplaceable they are.
2. Government as Guardian of Reason, Truth, and Data
We are living in an age where data is both currency and battleground. And yet, as Lewis laments, “Giving up on the work of creating statistical truths…we risk abandoning democracy.” This theme resonates deeply with A Short History of Nearly Everything and its celebration of science as a way of navigating uncertainty.
Government data undergirds everything from economic forecasting to climate modeling. It informs interest rates, school funding formulas, housing policy, and more. When data is politicized or distrusted, entire systems begin to fracture. Trust in government statistics isn’t just a technical matter—it’s a moral one. Without credible shared facts, public discourse collapses into tribal narrative.
3. Government as Steward of Fairness
In The Case for a Fair Playing Field, we examined how effective antitrust enforcement and regulatory frameworks ensure that innovation is rewarded and exploitation is penalized. Lewis draws a straight line from fair competition to societal prosperity: “Effective antitrust is such a boon to the economy. It is such a boon to fairness across the board.”
The myth that markets naturally tend toward fairness is one of the most enduring misconceptions in public life. Markets are powerful, but they are not moral. They must be structured and refereed. Without watchdogs, monopolies emerge, innovation stalls, and consumer choice vanishes. Government ensures that success flows from merit, not manipulation.
4. Government as a Platform for Meaningful Work
There’s an aching nobility in the quiet grind of public service. From Lewis’s “nerdy SEAL Team Six” in the IRS to statistical engineers analyzing rock deformation, these are people who “have to be smart but not too smart to put in the years.”
In Be Useful: Life Lessons for the Next Generation, we explored how meaning is forged not in accolades but in impact. Public service remains one of the most scalable ways to do meaningful work that benefits millions.
Yet too few young people see the government as a career path. The average age of federal workers continues to climb, and the barriers to entry often discourage talented early-career professionals. If we want a smarter, more responsive government, we must make public service aspirational again.
5. Government as Democracy’s Infrastructure
Finally, government is the scaffolding of democracy. It reflects our highest aspirations and our most difficult compromises. As Lewis warns, efforts to politicize the civil service threaten this very structure: “Trump… tried… upending it and converting it into a political process.”
This concern echoes The Infinite Game of Governance, where we argued that long-term thinking is essential in public administration. You don’t build a resilient democracy with short-term wins. You build it by investing in institutions that outlast political cycles.
Partisan hacks can be hired overnight. But institutional trust is built brick by brick, over decades. And when trust collapses, recovery can take generations. Democracy is not self-sustaining. It must be maintained, renewed, and defended—often by those who ask for neither fame nor fortune.
Conclusion: Reframing the Narrative
The government, as Michael Lewis describes, is not a faceless bureaucracy. It is the collective expression of our shared will—an imperfect but indispensable force for fairness, truth, and opportunity. In a time when polarization dominates and cynicism reigns, perhaps the greatest act of patriotism is not blind faith or harsh critique, but informed, engaged stewardship of the only institution capable of holding us together.
“There are 1.5 million nonprofits out there… but only one tool for collective action with the imprimatur of the people: our government.” (Lewis)
Let us not forget who government is. It’s us.
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