Government ineffectiveness is a central concern in contemporary government studies, with diverse approaches seeking to identify its causes and enable governments to achieve their objectives more effectively. From the perspective of political philosophy, government is understood as a system for managing and directing society toward a stable order and the realization of collective goals and ideals. Al-Farabi places human beings and their existential advancement and perfection at the center of his account of government and its effectiveness. Nevertheless, he recognizes that government can become ineffective. Accordingly, this study asks: What factors, according to Al-Farabi, prevent government from achieving its goals? Employing qualitative content analysis, the study examines Al-Farabi’s texts as an integrated whole, exploring their underlying and implicit meanings to identify manifest and latent factors, including structural and non-structural factors, contributing to government ineffectiveness. The findings identify three principal sets of factors. The first comprises failures to exercise wisdom and prudence and to consider the common interests and shared goods of individuals across all professions and social groups. The second concerns the absence of moderation in regulating the individual faculties of citizens and administrators, alongside the lack of policymaking grounded in civil justice within social and political structures. The third encompasses self-interest, wealth accumulation, and acquisitive selfishness among individuals and groups; the prevalence of injustice, discrimination, and class divisions; the gap between rich and poor; the deprivation, subjugation, and enslavement of certain groups; and the arrogance and domination exercised by individuals or groups over others.