Personalized Executive

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Recommended: Power and position of the American president with those of the British prime minister

INTRODUCTION A majority of Americans, 47% according to a recent poll, believe that the President of the United States is the most powerful person in the world ("Is the U.S. President the Most Powerful Man on Earth?," 2016). Is that perception reality? It is worthwhile to examine American leadership as compared to the leadership of one of the most advanced democracies in the world, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In comparing the powers of the American President and British Prime Minister, how do the powers of an American president differ from a British prime minister, including limitations and how does that contribute to their potential effectiveness as a leader? The British Prime Minister establishes and implements …show more content…

vs. ?collegial executive? (Heffernan, 2005, p. 55). The size of the White House Staff is immense, over 2,000 compared to 140 in Britain. The Prime Minister is considered the ?first among equals?; decisions are made among the cabinet members while the President just seeks the advice of his or her cabinet. Britain has what Heffernan refers to a ?collegial executive? where there is shared responsibility. The British Prime Minister does not need legislative approval of Cabinet choices, as long as they are members of Parliament (MPs); the American President needs Senate approval. The President has more liberty in his or her choices in that he may choose anyone he pleases. On the other hand, not only does the Prime Minister have to choose an MP, they are also dependent on party pressures. The sense of collegiality is to prevent the Prime Minister from dominating the Cabinet in the way that the American President does (Heffernan, 2005). Prime Ministers must compromise with their cabinet in a way that the American President never has to. This is one area where the President has greater freedom and …show more content…

Considering the influence of the Cabinet on the Prime Minister and their power in the British government, the Prime Minister?s choice sets the tone/standard for the government. The only real limitation is that the majority of appointments must be from the House of Commons. The power to dismiss is shared with the American President, but that is not necessarily the case around the world (King & Allen, 2010). President plays no formal role in the amending of the Constitution. The fact that the UK has an unwritten constitution gives the Prime Minister more freedom in the execution of changes to the British government. The US President however, is dependent upon a process that requires 2/3 of Congress? approval and ? of the state legislatures, not a feat easily managed, as seen by the fact that there are only 27 formal amendments to the Constitution (Heffernan,

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