A cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council or an Executive Committee. In political science and constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the state. ... For the comedy film of the same name, see Head of State (film). ... A dictator is an authoritarian, often totalitarian ruler (e. ... For other uses, see Monarch (disambiguation). ... President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, trade unions, universities, and countries. ... The head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. ... For other uses, see Chancellor (disambiguation). ... A premier is an executive official of government. ... A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... A ministry is a department of a government, led by a minister. ... A minister or a secretary is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. ... A presidential system, also called a congressional system, is a system of government where an executive branch exists and presides (hence the term) separately from the legislature, to which it is not accountable and which cannot in normal circumstances dismiss it. ... States with semi-presidential systems are shown in yellow The semi-presidential system is a system of government in which a prime minister and a president are both active participants in the day-to-day functioning of the administration of a country. ... States currently utilizing parliamentary systems are denoted in red and orange—the former being constitutional monarchies where authority is vested in a parliament, the latter being parliamentary republics whose parliaments are effectively supreme over a separate head of state. ... Cohabitation in government occurs in semi-presidential systems, such as Frances system, when the President and the Prime Minister come from different political parties. ... The Houses of Parliament, also known as the Palace of Westminster, in London. ... This is a list of state leaders, showing heads of state and heads of government where different, mainly in parliamentary systems; it should be noted that often a leader is both in presidential systems or dictatorships. ... This is a list of the offices of heads of state and heads of government, and cabinets, by country. ... For other uses, see Governor (disambiguation). ... A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger, greater) is the modern title of the highest ranking municipal officer. ... In political science and constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the state. ... An Executive Council in Commonwealth constitutional practice based on the Westminster system exercizes executive power and is the top tier of a government led by a Governor-General, Governor, Lieutenant-Governor or Administrator (all governors). Until the advent of responsible government, Executive Councils existed primarily to advise the governor of...

Overview

In some countries, particularly those under the Westminster system, the cabinet collectively decides the government's policy and tactical direction, especially in regard to legislation passed by the parliament. In countries with a presidential system, such as the United States, the cabinet does not function as a collective legislative influence; rather, their primary role is as an unofficial advisory council to the head of government, consisting of the heads of the executive departments they are appointed to lead. Instead of just one view, the president gets opinions and advice in upcoming decisions. In some countries, cabinets are required to be appointed from sitting members of the legislature while in others, such as the United States, cabinet members may not be sitting legislators; they must resign their legislative office if they accept a cabinet appointment. This article describes a type of political entity. ... The Houses of Parliament, also known as the Palace of Westminster, in London. ... The House of Representatives Chamber of the Parliament of Australia in Canberra. ... A presidential system, also called a congressional system, is a system of government where an executive branch exists and presides (hence the term) separately from the legislature, to which it is not accountable and which cannot in normal circumstances dismiss it. ... An Executive Council in Commonwealth constitutional practice based on the Westminster system exercizes executive power and is the top tier of a government led by a Governor-General, Governor, Lieutenant-Governor or Administrator (all governors). Until the advent of responsible government, Executive Councils existed primarily to advise the governor of... The head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. ... The executive is the branch of a government charged with implementing, or executing, the law and running the day-to-day affairs of the government or state. ... A legislatureis a type of representative deliberative assembly with the power to ratify laws. ...

In most governments, members of the cabinet are given the title of minister, and each holds a different portfolio of government duties ("Minister for the Environment", etc). In a few governments, as in the case of the United States and the Philippines, the title of secretary is also used for some cabinet members ("Secretary of Education", etc). The day-to-day role of most cabinet members is to serve as the head of one segment of the national bureaucracy, as the head civil servant to which all other employees in that department report. A minister or a secretary is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A minister or a secretary is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      This article is about the sociological concept. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Origins of cabinets

Historically, cabinets began as smaller sub-groups of the English Privy Council. The term comes from the name for a relatively small and private room used as a study or retreat. Phrases such as "cabinet counsel", meaning advice given in private to the monarch, occur from the late 16th century, and, given the non-standardized spelling of the day, it is often hard to distinguish whether "council" or "counsel" is meant.^[1] The OED credits Francis Bacon in his Essays (1605) with the first use of "Cabinet council", where it is described as a foreign habit, of which he disapproves: "For which inconveniences, the doctrine of Italy, and practice of France, in some kings’ times, hath introduced cabinet counsels; a remedy worse than the disease".^[2] Charles I began a formal "Cabinet Council" from his accession in 1625, as his Privy Council, or "private council", was evidently not private enough, and the first recorded use of "cabinet" by itself for such a body comes from 1644, and is again hostile and associates the term with dubious foreign practices. ^[3] The process has repeated itself in recent times, as leaders have felt the need to have a Kitchen Cabinet. A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically in a monarchy. ... OED stands for Oxford English Dictionary Office of Enrollment & Discipline This page concerning a three-letter acronym or abbreviation is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... For other persons named Francis Bacon, see Francis Bacon (disambiguation). ... Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, King of Scots and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. ... Kitchen cabinets are the built-in furniture installed in many kitchens for storage of food, cooking equipment, and often silverware and dishes for table service. ...

Westminster cabinets

Main article: Cabinet of the United Kingdom

Under the Westminster system members of the cabinet are collectively responsible for all government policy. All Cabinet decisions are made by consensus, a vote is never taken in a Cabinet meeting. All ministers, whether senior and in the Cabinet, or junior ministers, must publicly support the policy of the government regardless of any private reservations. Although in theory all Cabinet decisions are taken collectively by the Cabinet, in practice many decisions are delegated to the various sub-committees of the Cabinet which report to the full Cabinet on their findings and recommendations. As these recommendations have already been agreed upon by those in the Cabinet who hold affected ministerial portfolios, the recommendations are usually agreed to by the full Cabinet with little further discussion. The Houses of Parliament, also known as the Palace of Westminster, in London. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Houses of Parliament, also known as the Palace of Westminster, in London. ...

Cabinet deliberations are secret and documents dealt with in cabinet are confidential. Most of the documentation associated with Cabinet deliberations will only be publicly released a considerable period after the particular cabinet disbands; for example, thirty years after they were discussed. Secrecy is the condition of hiding information from others. ... The thirty year rule is the popular name given to a law in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Australia that states that the yearly cabinet papers of a government will be released publicly thirty years after they were created. ...

In theory the prime minister/premier is first among equals. However, the Prime Minister holds the Royal Prerogative, which is theoretically a power of the Monarch but in practice normally carried out on the advice of the Prime Minister. This notably includes the powers to declare war, use nuclear weapons, to expel ministers from the Cabinet and to determine their portfolios in a cabinet reshuffle. First among Equals could refer to Primus inter pares, a political concept or First Among Equals, a novel by Jeffrey Archer ... The Royal Prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege, and immunity, recognised in common law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy as belonging to the Crown alone. ... In the parliamentary system a cabinet shuffle is an informal term for an event that occurs when a Head of State or Head of Government rotates or changes the composition of ministers in his or her United States it would very unusual for a president to reassign all the cabinet...

The use of the royal prerogative means that in practice, the Prime Minister has a high degree of control over the Cabinet. Any spreading of responsibility for the overall direction of the government has usually been done as a matter of preference by the Prime Minister — either because they are unpopular with their backbenchers or because they believe that the Cabinet should collectively decide things.

The Shadow Cabinet, are the leading members, or frontbenchers, of an opposition party, who generally hold critic portfolios "shadowing" cabinet ministers, questioning their decisions and proposing policy alternatives. The Shadow Cabinet (also called the Shadow Front Bench) is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition (or the leader of other smaller opposition parties) form an alternative cabinet to the governments, whose... In many parliaments and other similar assemblies, seating is typically arranged in banks or rows, with each political party or caucus grouped together. ... The Parliamentary Opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. ...

The Westminster cabinet system is the foundation of cabinets as they are known at the federal and state (or provincial) levels of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and other Commonwealth of Nations countries whose parliamentary model is closely based on that of the United Kingdom. The Commonwealth of Nations as of 2007 Headquarters Marlborough House, London, UK Official languages English Membership 53 sovereign states Leaders  -  Queen Elizabeth II  -  Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma Appointed 24 November 2007 Establishment  -  Balfour Declaration 18 November 1926   -  Statute of Westminster 11 December 1931   -  London Declaration 28 April 1949  Area  -  Total...

Presidential cabinets

Main article: United States Cabinet

Ronald Reagan's cabinet, 1981

Under the doctrine of separation of powers, a cabinet under a presidential system of government is part of the executive branch. In theory, at least, they carry out policy rather than create it. In addition to administering his or her segment of the executive branch, a cabinet member is responsible for advising the head of government on areas within his or her purview. They are appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the head of government; they are strongly subordinate to the executive and can be replaced at any time. Normally, since they are appointed by the executive, they are members of the same political party, but the executive is free to select anyone, including opposition party members, subject to Congressional confirmation. The Cabinet meets in the Cabinet Room on May 16, 2001. ... Download high resolution version (900x709, 97 KB) Front row: Alexander Haig, Secretary of State; President Reagan; Vice President Bush; Caspar Weinberger, Secretary of Defense Second row: Raymond Donovan, Secretary of Labor; Donald Regan, Secretary of Labor; Terrel Bell, Secretary of Education; David Stockman, Director, Office of Management & Budget; Andrew Lewis... Download high resolution version (900x709, 97 KB) Front row: Alexander Haig, Secretary of State; President Reagan; Vice President Bush; Caspar Weinberger, Secretary of Defense Second row: Raymond Donovan, Secretary of Labor; Donald Regan, Secretary of Labor; Terrel Bell, Secretary of Education; David Stockman, Director, Office of Management & Budget; Andrew Lewis... Reagan redirects here. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Separation of powers is a term coined by French political Enlightenment thinker Baron de Montesquieu[1][2], is a model for the governance of democratic states. ... A presidential system, also called a congressional system, is a system of government where an executive branch exists and presides (hence the term) separately from the legislature, to which it is not accountable and which cannot in normal circumstances dismiss it. ...

Normally, the legislature or a segment thereof must confirm the appointment of a cabinet member; this is one of the many checks and balances built into a presidential system. The legislature may also remove a cabinet member through a usually difficult impeachment process. The doctrine and practice of dispersing political power and creating mutual accountability between political entities such as the courts, the president or prime minister, the legislature, and the citizens. ... Depiction of the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson, then President of the United States, in 1868. ...

In the most famous example of a presidential system cabinet, the United States Cabinet, cabinet members do not serve to influence legislative policy to the degree found in a Westminster system; however, each member wields significant influence in matters relating to their executive department. Since the administration of Franklin Roosevelt, the President of the United States has acted most often through his own executive offices or the National Security Council rather than through the cabinet as was the case in earlier U.S The Cabinet meets in the Cabinet Room on May 16, 2001. ... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882–April 12, 1945), often referred to as FDR, was the 32nd (1933–1945) President of the United States. ... The Executive Office of the President (EOP) consists of the immediate staff of the President of the United States, as well as multiple levels of support staff reporting to the President. ... The National Security Council (NSC) of the United States is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and cabinet officials. ...

European Union

Further information: Cabinet (European Commission)

In some European countries and in the institutions of the European Union, a cabinet (pronounced [kabiˈne] as in French) carries a different meaning; it refers to the private office of consultants and assistants working directly for a minister or senior executive. For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ...

See also

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Cabinet.

• List of national governments
• Ministerial responsibility
• Cabinet collective responsibility
• Cabinet government
• Minister of the Crown

Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ... Encyclopædia Britannica, the eleventh edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... This is a list of the offices of heads of state and heads of government, and cabinets, by country. ... In the Westminster System ministerial responsibility is the notion that a cabinet minister bears the ultimate responsibility for the actions of their ministry. ... Cabinet collective responsibility is constitutional convention in the states that use the Westminster System. ... Cabinet government refers to any government in which most executive power is invested in a cabinet - often the members act with collective responsibility. ... A minister or a secretary is a politician who heads a government ministry or department (e. ...

References

1. ^ OED Cabinet
2. ^ Bacon, Essay "On Counsel"
3. ^ OED Cabinet