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Executive Branch• Largest, most complex, and most
powerful in modern states• Typically, governments have 1 or 2 chief
executives– Presidents, Prime Ministers, Chancellors,
Secretaries General, or Leader– Various titles, duties, and powers– Even some kings have genuine power still!
• Monarch of Saudi Arabia exercises real power• Most are symbols of the state & nation
• Tend to be main formulators & executors of public policy
Structure of the chief executive• Democratic governments have either 1 chief executive (presidential) or split chief executive
of two offices: ceremonial head of state & more powerful head of governmentAuthoritarian Democratic: Partisan Influence –
influence in legislatureDemocratic: Constitutional Powers –
veto legislation, issue decrees, appoint Cabinet
Effective (genuine discretion in enactment of laws, budgets, or gov’t appointments)
General Secretary, China British PMFrench PM
German ChancellorIndian PM
Japanese PM
Ceremonial (symbolic role)
Chinese President British QueenGerman PresidentIndian President
Japanese Emperor
Ceremonial & Effective
Iranian Leader French President Brazilian PresidentMexican PresidentNigerian PresidentRussian President
US President
Recruitment• Method of finding top policymaker is critical to
protect order & stability• Major accomplishment of democracies is
regulating potential conflict of succession to voting (rather than weapons)
• Competitive party systems– Presidential System – parties select candidates for
nomination & the public elects one (US, Brazil)– Elected Presidents appoint Prime Minister (France &
Russia)– Parliamentary System – Prime Minister is selected
from within the Parliament, not directly elected by the public
• Limited tenure in presidential and parliamentary democracies
Recruitment of Chief ExecutiveCountry Structure Recruitment
StructureHow Often Gov’t
Survived Succession
Brazil President Party & voters Often
Britain Prime Minister Party, House of Commons, Voters
Very Often
China Party Secretary Party & military Often
Iran Leader, President Religious Elites, voters Once
Nigeria President Military, party, voters Never
Russia President Party & voters Once
United States President Party & voters Very Often
Authoritarian Systems• Rarely have effective procedures for
leadership succession• Risky to transfer such concentrated power to
another person• Leadership succession occurs when leaders
die or are overthrown• Always aware of possibility of a party coup
Stability in Succession• Poorer nations are less stable • Regimes usually have less experience at surviving succession crises• Many African nations experienced repeated coups• Military governments also common in Latin America & the Middle East• Nigeria example
– Experienced military coups & governments from 1966-1979– Introduced competitive presidential system– Overthrown by military coup after second election in
1983– Military gov’t moved toward civilian rule in early 1990s,
but annulled the 1993 presidential election before results were announced
– Military finally allowed return to civilian rule in 1999• India the Exception
– Persisted through assassinations & other crises– Provided number of democratic successions with a single interruption in the 1970s
The Cabinet• In many systems, the cabinet is the most important collective decision-
making body• Power can be great, esp. in parliamentary systems
– Formation closely linked to selection of Prime Minister– Entire cabinet may be collectively responsible to the legislature– Formation depends on result of parliamentary elections & composition of
parliament– Often, no party wins a majority of votes & several parties will form a coalition
cabinet• Typically contains leaders of all major departments
– Ministers, Secretaries of State– Meets frequently– Typically selected & led by the head of government
• In presidential systems, members are selected by the President and the legislature gives approval
• Vice President – Joe Biden• Dept. of State – John Kerry• Dept. of Treasury – Jack Lew• Dept. of Defense – Chuck Hagel• Dept. of Justice – Attorney General Eric H
Holder, JR.• Dept. of the Interior – Sally Jewell• Dept. of Agriculture – Thomas J Vilsack• Dept. of Commerce – Penny Pritzker
• Dept. of Labor – Thomas E Perez• Dept, of Health & Human Services – Sylvia
Matthew Burwell• Dept. of Housing & Urban Development –
Julian Castro• Dept. of Trasnportation – Anthony Foxx• Dept. of Energy – Ernest Moniz• Dept. of Education – Arne Duncan• Dept. of Veterans Affiars – Sloan Gibson• Dept. of Homeland Security – Jeh JohnsonUS Cabinet
Functions of Chief Executive
• Initiates new policies• Can have substantial part in their adoption,
depending division of powers with the legislature• Oversees policy implementation & can hold
subordinate officials accountable for performance• Makes decisions in foreign policy crises• Conduct affects confidence in the political system
as a whole• Explains & builds support for policies