Executive - Concept, types

Concept:

Among the three organs of the government. the executive is regarded as the most important one. The executive is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state. The executive branch executes the law. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers

In some countries, the term "government" connotes only the executive branch. However, this usage fails to differentiate between despotic and democratic forms of government. In authoritarian systems, such as a dictatorship or absolute monarchy, where the different powers of government are assumed by one person or small oligarchy, the executive branch ceases to exist since there is no other branch with which to share separate but equal governmental powers.The role of the executive is to enforce law as written by the legislature and interpreted by the judicial system.

Types:

Political and Permanent Executive : The emergence of welfare state has made the administrative functions of the State highly complex. The democratic set up has bestowed on the representatives of the people, the power to manage their affairs. Since the representatives without any administrative experience, spring to action from social life, know at best what people expect from them. When they come to power they take the help of the civil service, a body of professionals, trained, experienced and paid. This body of civil servants serve the political masters to formulate their policies and implement them. They have no party affiliations. They assist the political masters irrespective of their party ideology and do not hesitate to point out lapses in administration as and when they occur. These elected representatives who form the Government are known as political executive and the body of civil servants are known as permanent executive.

Nominal and Real Executive : It is needless to say that the Real Executive exercises the powers that belong to him. He is responsible for the exercise of these powers. May be he takes the assistance of subordinates but the decision is his. For example the President of U.S. A is an example of Real Executive who takes decisions for himself and exercises his own powers.The Nominal Executive is just the opposite. It is clearly discernible in a constitutional monarchy as prevalent in U.K. or Parliamentary Democracy as prevalent in India.In case of England the king is theoretically the master of all executive authority. But in practice his executive powers are exercise by the Council of Ministers. Similar is the position in India where the President enjoys the entire executive authority as per the constitution. But the Council of Minister exercises them and remains responsible for the exercise of powers.
The king in England or the President in India are the examples of Nominal Executive and the Prime Ministers under the British and Indian system of administration offer the example of Real Executives.

Singular and Plural Executive: Single Executive consists of a person who does not share power with others. The President of U.S.A is an example of a single executive. When the executive authority of the state is vested in more than one person having co-equal powers is known as plural executive. Switzerland provides the best example of such a type of executive. Here the executive powers of the state are vested in a collegiate body of seven persons at par in authority. This body takes all decisions jointly.

Parliamentary and Non-Parliamentary Executive: The Parliamentary executive is basically a responsible and a removable executive. The Parliamentary executive is responsible and answerable to the legislature for all its activities. The striking feature of this type of executive is close relationship between the executive and the legislature. The members of the political executive are the members of the legislature. U.K., India, Australia provide examples of this type. The executive in a non-parliamentary system is independent of the legislature and is not responsible to it. Such type of executive is found in U.S.A., France, and Sri Lanka etc.