Glossary

Limited government

The principle that government power should be restricted by a constitution or law to defined purposes, leaving most matters to individuals and society.

Also called: constitutionally limited government, small government

Limited government is the idea that government authority should be confined to specific functions and bound by law, with strong protections for individual rights. The opposite is a government that claims broad or unlimited power to regulate life.

The American founding embodied it through a written Constitution of enumerated powers, a separation of powers among three branches, a Bill of Rights and federalism. The Tenth Amendment and the rule-of-law reinforce it. Thinkers such as John Locke and James Madison argued that those who hold power are prone to abuse it and so must be restrained by structure.

The principle is central to conservative and libertarian politics, and Americans of all parties generally express support for it in the abstract. They differ on what the limits are: conservatives typically stress limits on regulation, taxation and spending, while allowing government a significant role in national defense, law enforcement and in some cases moral and cultural policy; libertarians would go further. Progressives argue that effective government is needed to address problems that markets and communities cannot handle. "Limited" does not necessarily mean "small."

Last reviewed November 8, 2026

In the index now

Related terms

Enumerated powers The specific powers the Constitution grants to Congress and the federal government, chiefly the list in Article I, Section 8. Rule of law The principle that everyone, including government, is subject to publicly known laws that are applied equally and fairly. Tenth Amendment The amendment confirming that powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved to the states or to the people. Separation of powers The constitutional division of government into legislative, executive and judicial branches, each with its own distinct powers. Federalism A system dividing governing power between a national government and state governments, each with its own sphere of authority.