When does the government have a role in our daily lives? There is a difference between the role of government and “the government”. People generally understand (or at least claim to) that the function of government, at its most basic level, is to protect it’s citizens from foreign invaders (or our own internal ones), and ensure basic protections for all members of society. However, there are those who insist that “government intervention” is at the root of many of the problems in our society today.