… a core term in Governance and Institutions and Atlas100 Show
DefinitionIn a parliamentary system, the head of state can be a monarch or her representative whereas in a presidential system the president can be both the head of government and the head of state. Reference.com describes the difference as follows: “Although the head of state [in a parliamentary system] usually does not hold any type of executive or legislative role, she holds a symbolic role. A head of state acts as a symbol of national identity and helps promote unity and pride. She also acts as the symbol of the nation for the international community, receiving and hosting foreign ambassadors. The ability to pass legislation is left in the hands of the head of government. The head of government oversees the operation of the civil service and government agencies and appoints members of the government. In a presidential system, a single individual holds both titles and does both sets of duties. This is seen in the United States, South America and some African countries.” As to the question of whether Canada’s head of state is The Queen or the Governor General, see Governor General of Canada. Atlas topic, subject, and courseConstitutional Framework (core topic) in Governance and Institutions and Atlas100 Governance and Institutions. SourceReference.com, What is the difference between “head of state” and “head of government”?, at https://www.reference.com/government-politics/difference-between-head-state-head-government-22050887e8779784, accessed 15 August 2016. Page created by: Ian Clark, last modified on 25 August 2016. Journal Information Presidential Studies Quarterly (PSQ) is the only scholarly journal that focuses on the most powerful political figure in the world – the president of the United States. An indispensable resource for understanding the U.S. presidency, Presidential Studies Quarterly offers articles, features, review essays, and book reviews covering all aspects of the American presidency. PSQ's distinguished contributors are leading scholars and professionals in political science, history, and communications Publisher Information Wiley is a global provider of content and content-enabled workflow solutions in areas of scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly research; professional development; and education. Our core businesses produce scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, reference works, books, database services, and advertising; professional books, subscription products, certification and training services and online applications; and education content and services including integrated online teaching and learning resources for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has been a valued source of information and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Wiley has published the works of more than 450 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Peace. Wiley has partnerships with many of the world’s leading societies and publishes over 1,500 peer-reviewed journals and 1,500+ new books annually in print and online, as well as databases, major reference works and laboratory protocols in STMS subjects. With a growing open access offering, Wiley is committed to the widest possible dissemination of and access to the content we publish and supports all sustainable models of access. Our online platform, Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) is one of the world’s most extensive multidisciplinary collections of online resources, covering life, health, social and physical sciences, and humanities. There are various forms of rulers which run the country on the basis of their peoples will, political power or other factors. Countries have different powers and ways of running a country and the two among these are Head of State and Head of Government. These two are the country leaders in different parts of the world and have various differences among them which will be detailed in this article. The main difference is that; head of the
government is the head of a parliamentary form of government while head of the state is the head in the presidential form of government. There is no requirement of having a head of government when the presidential system is intact while there is always a head of state even when parliamentary system is implemented. Head of state keeps the main powers of passing a legislation with itself in both the systems while the head of government does not have these power in the presidential system. Usually
a head of government is appointed by elected group of people or by another head of state such as Queen in the United Kingdom but a head of state is always the leader of its party and selected with the consent of parliament. Meeting the head of states in most cases is the responsibility of the head of state while head of government may or may not perform these activities. From this, it can be concurred that a president is the head of state as well as the head of government while a prime minister
is the head of the government. The responsibility of head of government includes making policies, trade agreements and other daily matters while the head of state has the duty to approve these actions in due course. When the head of government takes the main role in a parliamentary system the head of state becomes just a symbol while the same case happens if head of state appoints head of government in a presidential system. Brief descriptions on both these types of leaders is given in the next
two paragraphs while differences will be discussed again at the end. A prime minster is the head of a government while a president is the head of the state. The head of government has to be the member of parliament while head of the state can be selected from a non-parliament member. In most parliamentary systems head of government is the head of state while in the
presidential system, head of the state is the head of government. In general terms, a head of the state signs off the official documents while the head of government actually makes those documents. The head of government and country in America is the president while in the UK, the prime minister is appointed as head of the government by the queen who is the head of state. Head of State vs. Head of GovernmentMaking trade agreements and other deals is the responsibility of the head of government while approving these is the duty of head of the state. Head of State vs. Head of GovernmentHead of the state can remove head of government of a country while the head of government cannot remove head of the state and can only be done so with the help of parliament. Head of State vs. Head of GovernmentIn case of army takeover, the army chief can assume the post of head of the state while he cannot become head of the government. Comparison Chart
Definition of Head of GovernmentThe head of government which is also known as the Prime Minister is a person who is responsible for all the decisions which are taken during the time he is in the office. It is the responsibility of the head of the government to assure that the best interests of the state are taken into consideration. The PM is required to meet different leaders of the world, people from different fields of live along with the part where he is to take decisions regarding trade and defense. In addition to that a head of government announces new laws which the government had assured people before coming in power and all the other promises that they made. Mostly he is free of any external pressures but in some cases, when appointed by the head of state, especially in the monarch or dictatorial system his contribution towards the country is left minimum. In real democracy though, he is the head of government which comes into power after winning majority of the seats in elections. They can be removed anytime by the president and have the duty to appoint different people in key positions to run the system in a proper way. Definition of Head of StateHead of state is the name given to the president of the country who does not always deal in the government matter but is seen as a sign of unity between different parts of the country. This is not the most famously followed political leader role since most of the power and working capacity lies with the prime minster but he is considered the head of country and no law can be passed without their signature. They also have the power to appoint a prime minister or remove them if the work is not satisfactory. There are some cases in which roles are changed and the best example of this is the United Sates where President holds the power throughout its reign and acts as the head of state as well as head of the government. Many other countries appoint this post as a ceremonial and a person who does not actually have the right criteria since there is no obligation to appoint a president from the member of parliaments anyone who belongs to the county can be appointed at this post in a parliamentary system. This system is not that common in the world but has the main source of power with one person just like monarchy. Conclusion What are the different of head of state and head of government?Formally the head of state can also be the head of government as well (ex officio or by ad hoc cumulation, such as a ruling monarch exercising all powers himself) but otherwise has formal precedence over the Head of Government and other ministers, whether he is their actual political superior (ruling monarch, executive ...
Is the head of state also the head of government?The head of state is a formal, symbolic and ceremonial position, as opposed to the position of head of government, which has the administrative power to govern the country.
Who is the head of state in a parliamentary system?A parliamentary democracy may have either a hereditary monarch or elected president as head of state. Monarchies are dealt with in International IDEA Constitution-Building Primer No. 7, Constitutional Monarchs in Parliamentary Democracies.
What is the difference between the head of state and the prime minister?The term president usually refers to the head of state of a country that is a republic. A prime minister is usually the leader of the government of a country that is a constitutional monarchy (Australia), republic (France) or another system of government.
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