Cabinet (government)

In some countries, particularly those that use a parliamentary system (e.g., the United Kingdom), the cabinet collectively decides the government's 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 official advisory council to the head of government.

In practice, in nearly all parliamentary democracies that do not follow the Westminster system, and in three countries that do (Japan, Ireland, and Israel), very often the cabinet does not "advise" the head of state as they play only a ceremonial role.

Instead, it is usually the head of government (usually called "prime minister") who holds all means of power in their hands (e.g. in Germany, Sweden, etc.)

In both presidential and parliamentary systems, cabinet officials administer executive branches, government agencies, or departments.

In many countries, (such as Ireland, Sweden, and Vietnam) the term "government" refers to the body of executive ministers; the broader organs of state having another name.

However, a great many countries simply call their top executive body the cabinet, including Israel, the United States, Venezuela, and Singapore, among others.

The term comes from the Italian gabinetto, which originated from the Latin capanna, which was used in the sixteenth century to denote a closet or small room.

From it originated in the 1600s the English word cabinet or cabinett which was used to denote a small room, particularly in the houses of nobility or royalty.

The following are examples of this variance: Some countries that adopt a presidential system also place restrictions on who is eligible for nomination to cabinet based on electoral outcomes.

However, this is not always successful: constituent parties of the coalition or members of parliament can still vote against the government, and the cabinet can break up from internal disagreement or be dismissed by a motion of no confidence.

[8] In Kievan Rus', the prince was obliged to accept the advice and receive the approval of the duma, or council, which was composed of boyars, or nobility.

[9] The ruins of Chichen Itza and Mayapan in the Maya civilisation suggest that political authority was held by a supreme council of elite lords.

[14] The process has repeated itself in recent times, as leaders have felt the need to have a Kitchen Cabinet or "sofa government".

This position in relation to the executive power means that, in practice, 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.

Under the doctrine of separation of powers in the United States, a cabinet under a presidential system of government is part of the executive branch.

In addition to administering their respective segments of the executive branch, cabinet members are responsible for advising the head of government on areas within their purview.

Normally, the legislature or a segment thereof must confirm the appointment of a cabinet member; this is but one of the many checks and balances built into a presidential system.