Executive (government)

The executive is the part of the government that executes or enforces the law and policy of a government. It is typically organized as a branch of government, though in other systems of government like absolute monarchies the executive serves as the organ of a unified state apparatus centered on a singular constitutional authority (ie, the monarch).

Function

The scope of executive power varies greatly depending on the political context in which it emerges, and it can change over time in a given country. They are usually laid out in a constitution. In democratic countries, the executive often exercises broad influence over national politics, though limitations are often applied to the executive.

In political systems based on the separation of powers, government authority is distributed between several branches to prevent power from being concentrated in the hands of a single person or group. To achieve this, each branch is subject to checks by the other branches; in general, the executive or the legislature can propose laws, the legislature can pass or block laws, laws are then enforced by the executive, and interpreted by the judiciary. The executive can also be the source of certain types of law or law-derived rules, such as a decree, executive order, or delegated legislation. For example, the U.S. federal legislative branch frequently delegates rulemaking (creation of regulations) to the U.S. federal executive branch.

In those that have fusion of powers, typically parliamentary systems, such as the United Kingdom, the executive is often referred to as the 'government', and its members generally belong to the political party or political parties that control the legislature.