Nanny state

The term Nanny state, used especially in the United Kingdom, refers to execessive government interference, especially on social issues. Bans on smoking in public places, can serve as an example of the functioning of a 'nanny state': such actions operate on the assumption that the state (often actually a local authority) knows best.

Conservatives and libertarians tend to use the term, although many traditional conservatives may also advocate paternalism, which some liberals and socialists may regard as much the same.

The city state of Singapore has a reputation as a nanny state, owing to the considerable government regulations and restrictions on its citizens' lives. However, former Prime Minister and elder statesman Lee Kuan Yew has said: "If Singapore is a nanny state, then I am proud to have fostered one."

Nannydom as a way of thinking and operating can emerge in power hierarchies outside the level of states too: practitioners of such behaviour may class as nannycrats.