The governance of every country projects a relationship between the public and the government. Unlike past traditional administration structures and governance practices where there was little application of democracy, the present society is mostly democratic. The public decides who they want to lead them, and in some countries, there are term limits to regimes. Once elected into office, the government implements policies that have been promised to the public during campaigns, as failure to do so would mean that they fail to be elected into office. This is the situation in the United States, as well. Elective public offices have their tenures renewed based on the performance or delivery of the promises that they had given to the public unless there is a term limit that restricts the duration to which a person can hold office.
The public has the power to elect the government that they want. The government, on the other hand, has the power to provide some of the essential services to the public. In the present Covid-19 pandemic, a demonstration of which entity between the public and the government that has more power is clearly provided. For instance, the government cannot exert their free will on policies that they expect to implement without considering the effect on the people and the response that it might have from the public. Issues such as lockdowns and curfews are implemented and withdrawn, depending on the reaction from the public. This demonstrates that the public has more power than the government, in influencing the approach that is taken to curb the pandemic.
Another demonstration of the power metrics between the government and the public is on the decisions that state leaders make. The governor of the state of Ohio, make decisions on reopening of the state after the shutdown, based on citizens’ demands. The pressure exerted by the public has forced most states to reopen, and this reveals the strength of the public over the government.