NONSPATIAL GOVERNMENT

This article explores the evolution of government. Facilitated by adva nces in telecommunications and information technology, governments of the future may become specialized by function. One type of government will be non-spatial in essence and will be populated by people who sha re a strong affinity with each other, but not necessarily common spati al boundaries. A second type of government will necessarily be spatial and will be responsible for infrastructure. Another two types of gove rnments will have enforcement and coordination responsibilities, respe ctively. A theory of government based on interpersonal transactions of obligations and a brief historical review of the evolution of governm ent provide the foundation for these prognostications. The article con cludes with a discussion about how different types of government funct ions (eg education, healthcare, defence, police protection) could be p erformed by this four-part government structure. The ideas presented h ere could be used to help reduce violent conflicts around the world am ong peoples who, it is believed, cannot coexist with each other within arbitrarily drawn spatial boundaries.