Question

Why does the political executive have more power than the non-political executive?

Answer 1

(i) The civil servant is usually more educated and has more knowledge of the subject. For example, the advisors working in the Finance Ministry know more about economics than the Finance Minister. Sometimes the ministers may know very little about the technical matters that came under their ministry. Despite all these, they are more powerful than the civil servant.
(ii) In a democracy, the will of the people is supreme. The minister is elected by the people and thus empowered to exercise the will of the people on their behalf. He is finally answerable to the people for all the consequences of her decision.
(iii) That is why the minister takes all the final decisions. He decides the overall framework and objectives in which decisions on policy should be made.