Why Do We Have Cabinets?
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by Chris Stanwick
Almost every President in the New World appoints a Cabinet to assist them with the day to day management of the nation’s affairs. Some presidents have small Cabinets with two or three advisors, while some have huge Cabinets with multiple layers. Cabinets have been around since the very beginning, steadily growing larger with each successive president. Why do we have them, though? What function do they fulfill in the New World?
The Nature of the Cabinet
Unlike the President or Congress, the Cabinet does not fulfill an in-game function. Admin has not coded for the Cabinet members to have any duties within the game. They cannot vote, make proposals, or start battles. The Cabinet is purely a user created concept, created to fulfill functions that are also user created. The Cabinet gains its legitimacy through the power of the President and the will of the citizens. Many Cabinet members build legitimacy through their reputations as well. In theory, a player could potentially declare themselves a Minister, and successfully operate as such if they can convince other players that they are legitimate. The nature of the Cabinet is ever changing with each president and minister.
The Functions of the Cabinet
Since the Cabinet does not fulfill an in-game function, what is it that the ministers do? Firstly, they advise the president on specific areas, such as diplomacy or war. The president is a single player and cannot possibly be online every hour of every day. Therefore, advisors that focus on specific areas of eRepublik are required to formulate a full image of the happenings of the game.
Secondly, they fulfill specific roles and duties that the president does not have time to complete. There is generally a Minister of Foreign Affairs who negotiates with other nations’ leaders. This minister might help form an informal alliance between other nations toward a common goal, might negotiate the end of a war, or attempt to convince another nation’s Congress to lower import taxes to encourage trade. Most nations also have a Minister of Defense who develops military strategy and manages the national military. This minister might advise the president as to which regions to attack during war, when to retreat from a battle, or who to promote within the military.
A Minister of Economics or Finance advises both the president and Congress on economic matters. Generally, this minister has a background in business and makes recommendations as to tax rates and currency donations. Most nations have a Minister of Education who assists new players in learning the aspects of the game and writes informative how to articles. A Minister of Social Affairs or New Citizens also assists new players, but by providing gifts and food during their first days. With the new citizenship module, several nations now have a Minister of Immigration who researches citizenship requests and reports the results to Congress. Some Presidents have a Chief of Staff that acts as a buffer between the public or Cabinet and the president.
Many presidents have a Vice President, who generally has few duties within the administration, but acts as the interim president when the president is away. The vice president, however, also has no in-game function, and does not assume the in-game role of president with full powers if the president becomes inactive.
The Future of the Cabinet
The Cabinet in most nations continues to grow larger with each new president. New positions are created to reward longterm friends or political allies. Layers of deputy ministers, junior ministers, and assistant ministers are added, with these positions all vying for power and access to the president. Internal squabbling and fights between Cabinet departments and within each department is becoming more common as each minister tries to corner the most power in the administration. At times, some ministers, advisors to their president, betray their president in the pursuit of power. Cabinets members have become too autonomous.
Most likely, this trend of ever enlarging Cabinets will continue until effective governance breaks down completely. However, there is a small chance that some presidents will look upon their Cabinet with horror as they see what it has become, and reduce it to just a few members carrying out the role they were originally tasked with – advising the president and completing only tasks he assigns. Only time shall tell which path the Cabinet will take.
-Chris Stanwick
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Comments
First
And I like this report.
To keep stuff in *drums + cymbal crash*
A good article. The idea of reducing cabinet size holds some merit. Smaller size does create more unity and less levels of bureaucracy and internal fighting. However, it's also wise to realize that one is not the best in every area and give the work to those who are best at the specific area. Also, the job of the presidency can be a bit much to take on by oneself. I think the cabinet size should be determined by the President himself based on their areas of expertise and how much they can handle. There is great wisdom in knowing when to ask for help.
I defend TWO cabinets, one for the President and one for the Congress. And wide, with high "n" in the side 1:n , because the more layers you have, the more delays you have to accept.
And a modern state needs many functions. I have calculated for the eRussian state at least 150 persons, exclusing the military. There is a lot of possible and interesting tasks to do.
So... long live the Cabinets!
I like cabinets...wood ones.
I myself enjoy being in the cabinet in eIreland it's adds an extra dimension to the game.
Good to know. 🙂
Well In Ireland for a month we had deputy and junior ministers and it failed horribly. There was almost no accountability and less things got done then before. I took away the deputy and junior ministerial positions. If a minister wants a helper they can appoint their own.
Another great article, thank you.
Some of what you describe reminds me of the poltical system in Germany in WWII in which infighting was encouraged as a way to keep everyone off balance so that the central govt could maintain its power, a sort of divide and conquer approach. It doesn't sound like a particularly healthy system (look at the results) and not one to emulate in the new world.
The idea for cabinets is to make life easier for everyone involved.
whether that be the president, the congress or the people, it is there to aid and assist.
Many functions that the cabinet does that you unfortunatly have not touched upon is that it is generally in charge of a company to help the economy, defense or stablisation of the country.
Also, many assistant ministers or deputy's have a few jobs to do that make it easier for the minister of that branch. so he in turn can make it easier for the President. its a fairly simple process in eAus. each department has its head (or co-chief) minister who decides, based upon the amount of work he will be doing, how many assistants he needs.
good review. We should have a cabinet in game fetaure asbolutely.