Administration (government)

{{Politics}} The term '''administration''', as used in the context of [[government]], differs according to the [[jurisdiction]] under which it operates. In general terms, the administration can be described as a decision-making body.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Decision making and governing body structure for independent regulators |journal=The Governance of Regulators |series=OECD Best Practice Principles for Regulatory Policy |date=2014 |pages=67–78 |doi=10.1787/9789264209015-en |isbn=9789264209008 |url=https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/9789264209015-8-en.pdf?expires=1656941675&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=2C4CEABA63F2C5279561C41D934E45E8 |access-date=4 July 2022}}</ref>

==United States== {{Unreferenced section|date=January 2026}} {{Redirect|Administration of the United States|the term in a wider sense|Federal government of the United States}} In [[Americans|American]] usage, the term generally refers to the [[Federal government of the United States#Executive branch|executive branch]] under a specific [[President of the United States|president]] (or [[Governor#United States|governor]], [[Mayor#United States|mayor]], or other local executives); or the term of a particular executive; for example: "President Y's administration" or "Secretary of Defense X during President Y's administration."<ref>[http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/american-english/administration administration noun – definition in American English Dictionary – Cambridge Dictionary Online]</ref> It can also mean an executive branch agency headed by an administrator, as the [[NASA|National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] (NASA), [[Small Business Administration]] or the [[National Archives and Records Administration]].

The term "administration" has been used to denote the executive branch in [[presidential system]]s of government.

==Europe== The term's usage in [[Europe]] varies by country. Still, most typically the word "administration" refers to [[management|managerial functions]] in general, which may include local governments, or the hierarchy of national and local government, that applies to a town or district. More specifically, it may refer to [[public administration]], the business of administering [[Policy|public policy]] as determined by the government. However, outside [[France]] and [[Romania]], this usage of the word is uncommon.

For the British sense of the word, most countries use the term ''government'', referring to the "administration" of [[Winston Churchill]] as the "Churchill government".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-28 |title=government |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/government |access-date=2026-01-29 |website=dictionary.cambridge.org |language=en}}</ref> This is also true for the non-European members of the [[Commonwealth of Nations]]. An older, chiefly [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] usage, is the term [[Ministry (collective executive)|"ministry"]], as in "Churchill Ministry", which is still in official and academic use in Britain, Australia, and Canada to refer the terms of [[prime ministers]].<ref> {{Cite web |date=2026-01-24 |title=Definition of MINISTRY |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ministry |access-date=2026-01-29 |website=www.merriam-webster.com |language=en}} </ref>

The word [[coalition]] may be used for a specific government depending on the type of government. In the Netherlands, cabinet is the most-used term (as in "the [[fourth Balkenende cabinet]]"). However "coalition" or "government" are also used when one does not refer to a specific coalition (note that the two terms have slightly different meanings).

==See also== * [[Executive (government)]]

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Administration (Government)}} [[Category:Government institutions]] [[Category:Public administration]]