head of government

(noun)

The chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet; usually called Prime Minister (in a parliamentary system) or President (in a presidential system).

Related Terms

Examples of head of government in the following topics:

  • Chief Executive

    • Chief Executive is a term used for certain gubernatorial offices, expressing the nature of their job being analogous to a head of government.
    • Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet.
    • In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc.
    • In presidential republics or absolute monarchies, the head of government may be the same person as the head of state, who is often also called a president or a monarch.
    • In a parliamentary system, the head of state is normally a different person from the head of government.

  • Head of State

    • The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States.
    • The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States.
    • A presidential system is a system of government where an executive branch is led by a president who serves as both head of state and head of government .
    • Presidential governments make no distinction between the positions of head of state and head of government, both of which are held by the president.
    • Many parliamentary governments have a symbolic head of state in the form of a president or monarch.

  • Separation of Powers

    • Separation of powers is a doctrine in which each of the three branches of government have defined powers independent of each other.
    • Separation of powers is a political doctrine originating from the writings of Montesquieu in The Spirit of the Laws in which he urges for a constitutional government with three separate branches of government .
    • In a parliamentary system, the head of state is normally a different person from the head of government.
    • This is in contrast to a presidential system in a democracy, where the head of state often is also the head of government, and most importantly: the executive branch does not derive its democratic legitimacy from the legislature.
    • In such a system, congresses do not select or dismiss heads of governments, and governments cannot request an early dissolution as may be the case for parliaments.

  • Democracy

    • Democracy is a form of government in which all eligible citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives.
    • One form of democracy is direct democracy, in which citizens have direct and active participation in the decision making of the government.
    • The president serves as both the head of state and head of government controlling most of the executive powers.
    • By contrast, a parliamentary democracy is a representative democracy where government is appointed by, or can be dismissed by, representatives as opposed to a 'presidential rule' wherein the President is both head of state and the head of government and is elected by the voters.
    • Discuss the main elements and variants of democracy as a form of government, as well as its relationship with social inclusion in U.S. history

  • The Powers of State Government

    • State governments are structured in accordance with state law and they share the same structural model as the federal system; they also contain three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial.
    • An elected Governor heads the executive branch of every state.
    • Each state government is free to organize its executive departments and agencies in any way it likes, resulting in substantial diversity among the states with regard to every aspect of how their governments are organized.
    • A supreme court that hears appeals from lower state courts heads the judicial branch in most states.
    • Each of the state has its own government.

  • Making Agencies Accountable

    • The institution responsible for ensuring that government agencies are held accountable is the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
    • The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is the audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of the United States Congress.
    • The GAO also establishes standards for audits of government organizations, programs, activities, and functions, and of government assistance received by contractors, nonprofit organizations, and other nongovernmental organizations.
    • These standards pertain to auditors' professional qualifications, the quality of audit effort, and the characteristics of professional and meaningful audit reports.
    • The GAO is headed by the Comptroller General of the United States, a professional and non-partisan position in the U.S. government.

  • Checking the Power of the Governing Party

    • The legislative branch can significantly affect the power of the governing party by employing a series of checks and balances.
    • The Democratic and Republican Parties can check the power of the governing party by holding seats in the legislative branch of the government.
    • The legislative branch of the United States government is composed of the Senate and House of Representatives.
    • The Senate has the power to consider presidential appointments of judges and executive department heads.
    • The tendency of the Democratic Party to embrace a more active government role in the lives of citizens versus the tendency of the Republican Party to favor limited government intervention in citizens' lives, highlights the difficulties that arise when a divided government exists.

  • Making Policy

    • However, the actual development and implementation of policies are under the purview of different bureaucratic institutions mainly comprised cabinet departments, independent executive agencies, government corporations, and regulatory agencies.
    • Fifteen agencies are designated by law as cabinet departments, which are major administrative units responsible for specified areas of government operations.
    • Each is headed by a department secretary appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
    • The remaining government organizations within the executive branch outside of the presidency are independent executive agencies.
    • Their heads are confirmed by Congress, though they are appointed by and report directly to the President.

  • The Executive Departments

    • The executive departments are administrative organs in the executive branch of the federal government.
    • The State Department (formally known as the Department of State) is the highest ranking executive department and is headed by the Secretary of State.
    • The executive departments of the United States federal government are executive organs that serve under direct presidential control and act in an advisory capacity to the president.
    • These secretaries, or Cabinet members, are the most senior appointed officials in the executive branch of the United States government.
    • After the vice president, speaker of the house, and the president pro tempore of the Senate, the heads of the executive departments are ranked as follows:

  • Independent Agencies

    • The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) is an example of an executive agency, and acts as an outpost of the executive government to regulate communications technology and media in the U.S.
    • Department heads, who comprise the Cabinet, therefore often turn over when a new president is elected.
    • The leaders of agencies often participate as members of commissions, boards, or councils with internal structures resembling tripartite government.
    • Instead, these agencies are generally justified by acts of Congress designed to manage delineated government functions, such as the maintenance of infrastructure and regulation of commerce.
    • Once created, agencies are considered part of the executive branch of government and are partly regulated by government parties.