FIRST ESTATE: In past centuries, this included the religious leaders and clergy. In modern times, I like to use it in reference to politicians and government leaders who can exert a great deal of control over resources through the coercive powers of government. One historical function of the first estate is to protect the less powerful consumers, taxpayers, and workers of the third estate from the market control typically held by the business leaders of the second estate. It is not uncommon, however, for an unhealthy degree of cooperation between the first and second estates, which often ends up with the enslavement of the third estate (figuratively and literally). At times help is forthcoming from the watchdog journalist of the fourth estate--unless they too have been overtaken by the ruling elite.

     See also | government | public sector | government sector | second estate | third estate | fourth estate | government functions | market failure | consumers | market control |

FIRST ESTATE, AmosWEB GLOSS*arama, http://www.AmosWEB.com, AmosWEB LLC, 2000-2023. [Accessed: February 5, 2023].

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The aggregate macroeconomic sector that includes all levels of government, including federal, state, and local. The primary function of the government sector, also termed the public sector, is to impose resource allocation decisions on the rest of the economy that might not be made otherwise. This is one of the four macroeconomic sectors. The other three are household sector, business sector, and foreign sector.

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