8. Executive, Legislature, and Judiciary

A tiny number of absolute monarchies still exist (in which the monarch has complete power, mainly in the Gulf region), but most of the world’s countries are re- publics (states in which all political officials are elected) or constitutional monar- chies (states in which a King or Queen officially heads the government, but these figureheads are ceremonial and real power is held by elected politicians). These republics or constitutional monarchies can be authoritarian dictatorships (e.g., North Korea, Myanmar), illiberal democracies (e.g., Turkey, Hungary), or liberal democracies (e.g. Canada, Costa Rica). The state in Hegemony is a republic with a democratically elected government, and a separation of powers.
Before the 1800s there was very little separation of powers, with all (or most) political power held by a single monarch. But since the 1600s political theorists have argued in favor of separating powers into three realms, each of which per- forms a unique function. In democracies today, these three separate realms try to ensure that no individual or institution holds too much power.

The Executive Power is the branch that holds authority and is responsible for performing day-to-day administration of the state. The Executive is the President, Prime Minister, and government. They are elected and can be voted out of office.

The Legislature Power is the branch that debates laws and policies and can influence the Executive. The Legislature is the country’s parliament, assembly, or congress. They are elected and can be voted out of office.

The Judiciary Power is the branch which upholds the law, advising the Executive and Legislature on the appropriate legal responses to political issues. The Judiciary is the country’s court system, which upholds the law and uses the police to enforce law.

The civil service is not a branch of government, but a body of professional bureaucrats who help all three branches keep the state running through day-to-day administration.
This separation of powers has a disadvantage in that the three groups can often be in competition or conflict with one another, but the system has an enor- mous advantage in preventing too much power from being held by one group.