Final answer:
The job of government and politicians in a flattened world is to manage globalization's effects, ensure public well-being, and navigate between competing interests while adapting policies to maintain economic competitiveness and address inequality.
Step-by-step explanation:
The role of government and politicians in our interconnected and 'flattened' world involves responding to the implications of globalization and ensuring that societies adapt to the changing economic, social, and technological landscape. Governments are tasked with providing stability, public services, and the regulation of common goods for the benefit of all citizens, as well as creating structures that allow people to make their needs and opinions known, embodying the principles of a representative democracy. With globalization, politicians face the challenge of ensuring future prosperity while addressing concerns such as job loss and inequality resulting from corporations relocating to countries with cheaper labor and less stringent environmental regulations. There is a complex interplay between the interests of the citizenry, the pressures of globalization, and the actions of politicians who have also learned to use media as a pivotal tool in their political and governance strategies.