Have you ever read any of Richard Pipes's writing? He argues that the purpose of government is to protect private property, and that facilitating trade is one embodiment of that role. The different forms of government, then, arise based on whose property is being protected, whether it be a patrimonial system, in which the king owns all, or a liberal democracy in which many citizens may own property of some sort.
I have read two of his books, Property and Freedom, and The Russian Revolution. They are both pretty fascinating. I saw you recently had a baby, so I would suggest starting with Property and Freedom; The Russian Revolution is a volume that requires a whole lot of spare time to digest. Anyway P&F really gives some insight into why the Soviet Union happened in the first place, while Western countries by and large developed into liberal democracies, so its definitely worth reading.
I've not read it, so I don't really have an opinion. What I can say based on the two that I've read is that he is way more gifted as a writer--independent of his erudition, which is also top notch--than most academic writers I've come across. Given that, I'm sure most of his books are worthwhile.