What is the government of governed?

Answer 1

The responsibilities of the governed depends upon the system of government, and is dictated by the idea of what individual (or individuals) are defined as "sovereign" within that system.

For example, in a monarchy, it is mutually agreed that the regent (usually a king or queen) is considered sovereign, and the governed are vassals. Under this system, the governed have whatever responsibilities assigned to them by the monarch.

In contrast, the founding philosophy of the United States is based upon the idea that the citizens are sovereign, and those elected to government are servants of the people. In this case, the governed (citizens) have inherent responsibilities ("civic duties") that must be met in order to properly maintain the system of government.

Some common responsibilities of the governed found in most systems (regardless of sovereignty) may include: abiding the law, paying taxes, voting & performing jury duty.