Authority Around the World
Introduction to Authority Around the World
See Executive Branch. As in the United States, most countries rely upon large executive bureaucracies to carry out laws and enforce rules. However, the United States government is proportionately smaller than the governments of comparable nations-for example, Britain, Canada, France, or Germany. There are several reasons for this.
First, the United States has a tradition of limited government. From colonial times to the present, Americans have distrusted government, preferring to let private individuals, firms, and groups operate with a minimum of governmental interference.
Second, U.S. citizens resist taxes even more fiercely than people in other nations. The 1773 Boston Tea Party, for example, was a protest against taxes levied by the British on a variety of products, including tea. More recently, President George H. W. Bush appealed to voters during the 1988 presidential campaign by promising “No new taxes!” As a result of this resistance to high taxes, Americans pay lower taxes than citizens of most other industrialized countries.
Third, local and state governments perform many services valued by citizens, including policing services, fire safety, and even welfare programs. These entities have seen steady growth, in contrast to the federal government, which has had a shrinking workforce and little increase in spending.
The executive branch in the United States is also unusual in its separation from the legislature and the judiciary. In many other countries these powers are closely integrated. In India, for example, executive agencies are supervised by cabinet ministers who are also members of the parliament (national legislature). See also Separation of Powers.” (1)
Resources
Notes and References
- Information about Authority Around the World in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia
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