From the good old Wikipedia:

In the study of political science the executive branch of government has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy.

Except that this is not exactly true in most places. I mean, we all like the neat little theory of the separation of powers, but that isn't exactly realised in theory or in practice almost anywhere. In fact, in federal states (such as the US) it is not exactly clear that there is a single executive branch because some of the authority and responsibility rests with state governments and not by delegation of federal power, rather the federal government only has the power that the constitution gives to it.

In particular...

The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive branch of the European Union.

is inexact, not only because the EU is not even a state and sovereignty rests with the member states, ultimately, but also because not all areas of EU-level decision-making are under the commission (some are under the council). The Commission really only acts as the executive on matters pertaining to the internal/common market.

And then, the Commission doesn't have only an executive role: it is also the originator of EU legislation (but laws are approved by the council and the parliament jointly).

So, if one were to do political science properly and not in wikipedia's sophomoric style, one would say that the powers of government are conventionally separated into three functions: executive, legislative and judiciary; and then one would have to ask the question of "how are the three functions of government carried out, and by which combination of institutions and agents?".


A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds; a man of deeds and not of words is like a garden full of turds — Anonymous