The organisations charged with the task of reaching decisions for the whole community. The activity, practice or quality of governing. The policies which are made and the effectiveness with which they are carried out. Governance in a modern state is all about consultation, coordination and cooperation between affected interests to arrive at a policy or set of policies in order to govern complex societies. The State A more abstract term than government.
States recognise no higher authority other than themselves.
Sovereignty provides the theoretical foundation for the concept of the state. A people occupying a defined territory, with a shared history and other common defining features such as language AND seeking political expression of its shared identity. Authority An acceptance by the citizenry of the right to govern. Legitimacy A legitimate system of government is one which has an accepted, acknowledged, recognised authority to be there. Does not necessarily mean the same thing as democracy.