In this article you will learn about The Executive in Political Science.
The Executive
The second, nevertheless, the most important organ of the government is the Executive. The executive is one of the three branches of government, along with the legislative and judicial branches. It is the branch of government which enforces the will of the state as formulated or approved by the legislature. In actual practice, it is the most powerful organ of the government. It is the agency for running the administration and for securing the development goals of the state. It is responsible for carrying out and enforcing the laws of a country or state. The executive branch is led by the head of state or head of government, who is usually referred to as the president, prime minister, or monarch.
The modern welfare state has emerged as an administrative state that is a state having a primary emphasis upon administration of laws and policies. Consequently, the enforcement of laws and running of administration has become more important than the law-making function of the government. These functions are performed by the executive because it is considered as the most important organ.
The term ‘Executive’ has been defined both in the broader as well as narrower connotations. In its broad sense, it is taken to mean all the functionaries, political leaders (the Ministers), and permanent non-political civil servants, who are concerned with the executive of laws and running of the administration of the state. In its narrow sense, it is taken to mean the executive heads, the political leaders (Elected Representatives of the people) who head the government departments, formulate the policies and supervise the implementation of the laws and policies of the government. In this form, the civil servants and their administrative functions are not included in the realm of the executive. Traditionally, only the narrow meaning used to be accepted by the political scientists. In modern times, however, the executive is conceptualised in its broader sense. Political Executive + Permanent Executive.
The executive branch is responsible for a wide range of functions, including formulating and implementing policies, managing the economy, and overseeing national security. The executive branch also plays a key role in the judicial process. The head of state or head of government is usually responsible for appointing judges to the judiciary, and the executive branch may work with the judicial branch to enforce court orders and decisions.
Garner states that “the term embraces not only the supreme head of the government, but also the ministers and the whole mass of subordinate executive and administrative functionaries who constitute the civil service. Thus understood, the executive comprehends the entire governmental organisations, with the executive of the legislature and the judiciary and possibly the diplomatic corps.”
The political executive performs the functions of policy-making and of ensuring that all the laws are properly enforced and complied with by its several parts. The permanent executive that is civil service/bureaucracy runs the day-to-day administration under the supervision and control of the political science.
This article on The Executive in Political Science is contributed by Dipshikha Anand. If you like LawStudyPoint.com do follow us on our Twitter handle.