Government includes the people and resources—as well as departments, agencies, programs, processes, laws, rules, and regulations—that define the relationship between federal, state, and local governments and their citizens. Some legal principles have a unique application when private citizens or entities interact with their governments.

In Massachusetts, the government structure is defined by the state constitution, which establishes the framework for the relationship between the federal, state, and local governments and their citizens. This includes the organization of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches at the state level, as well as the delineation of powers and responsibilities among them. Various departments, agencies, and programs are created by statutes to administer the laws and provide services. The Commonwealth has its own set of laws, rules, and regulations that govern interactions between private citizens or entities and the government. These include the Massachusetts Public Records Law, which provides public access to government records, and the Open Meeting Law, which ensures transparency in the conduct of government business. Additionally, there are legal principles such as sovereign immunity, which protects the state from being sued without its consent, and the Administrative Procedure Act, which governs the process by which state agencies develop and enforce regulations. When private citizens or entities interact with the government, they must adhere to these and other specific legal frameworks that regulate such interactions.