administration

One of the functions of government by which it implements legislation and policy and operates the governmental system in accordance with a country's constitution and those conventions underlying it. The government of a country is often referred to as an administration; for example the Major or Blair administration in Britain, or the Bush or Clinton administration in the USA.

In countries with a parliamentary system of government, ministers are normally constitutionally responsible or answerable to the legislature. However, in countries such as the USA, which have a constitutional separation of powers, neither heads of executive departments nor the chief executive are constitutionally responsible to the legislature. Heads of executive departments are normally responsible solely to the chief executive (usually the president) and the chief executive is responsible to the people by virtue of his or her election. Nonetheless, the actions of the president of the USA and the various members of his or her administration are subject to considerable scrutiny by Congress, mainly through its committees.

In liberal democracies ministers or their political equivalents are normally almost fully liable for acts beyond their powers, including the actions of the civil servants for whom they are responsible. In a number of countries the administration of policy is also subject to the scrutiny of an ombudsman.