How does the relationship between the three branches of government influence the policy-making process - Essay Example

How does the relationship between the three branches of government influence the policy-making process? How does the relationship between the three branches of government influence the policy-making process? The United States federal government consists of three main parts: the Executive, the Legislative, and the Judicial. The Executive consists of the president and approximately five million workers, the Legislative also known as the Congress, consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives, and the Judiciary, which consists of the Supreme Courts together with the lower courts (Corwin, 1957).

The Executive branch is governed by the President, who also implements the laws made by the Legislative branch. On the other hand, the judicial branch consists of distinct judges who help to interpret the laws made by the legislative according to the constitution. Thus, this paper will explain how the relationship between the Executive, the Legislative and Judicial branches of government influence the policy-making process.The legislative branch has authorization from the state law and the state constitution to make local law.

The legislators who make up the legislative are elected by the public in order to make policy decisions, as well as enact laws on their behalf. The executive develops the proposed policies, and its main duty is to implement the policy made by the legislators (Corwin, 1957). However, the executive members do not make policy decisions, but they have a strong influence on the process of policy making. The Judiciary, which consists of the Supreme Court, and lower courts is said to have the least policy making powers compared to the other two branches, but in U.

S, it has equal power with the other two branches (Gewirtz, 1976). It ensures uniformity in the interpretation of national laws made by the legislative.Gewirtz (1976) argues that the Legislative (Congress), is the favored institution in the federal government for policy-making. However, to be sure of this policy, the other two branches also have legitimate policy making powers. For instance, the executive has constitutional functions and duties, which involve significant policy-making especially in foreign affairs, and initiates and vetoes legislation that influences the policy-making process.

Thus, the executive together with other independent agencies are expected to make some policy in the process of administering the law. Although most of the cases decided by the federal courts only help in applying the existing law to certain cases, the Judiciary makes policy, as well, in applying statute, nurturing the national common law, as well as interpreting the constitution (Gewirtz, 1976).Therefore, all the three branches of government are required, not only in the process of making policy, but also in enforcing and legitimizing the policy.

They have to work together and agree on a plan which then becomes a policy just like other laws in the country. According to Gwyn (1965), although the three branches are separate, their separation is essential in that it reduces the possibility of uninformed excesses by the federal government because all the three branches are required to approve the policy making, execution and administration of laws. ReferencesCorwin, E. S. (1957). The President: Office and Powers, 4th ed. New York: University Press.

Gewirtz, P. (1976). The Courts, Congress, and Executive Policy Making: Notes on Three Doctrines. Faculty Scholarship Series. Vol. 1, pp. 46-85. Gwyn, W. B. (1965). The Meaning of the Separation of Powers. London: Wiley publishers.