Chapter 5 discusses the organizational structure and function of the executive branch.

Administration is about people, politics, and structure as exemplified by the executive branch. Components of the executive branch include the cabinet departments (such as the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security) and independent agencies such as the Social Security Administration. Bureaus, which are the principal operating organizations of the government and generally stated are housed within cabinet-level departments.

The executive branch is the large and powerful component of the federal government. However, many factors affect the ability of the executive branch to govern. The president is expected to assure effective management of the executive branch but often falls short owing to failures in cabinet members or tensions among departments. Further, the White House staff is now so large, multi-tiered, and specialized that it is itself hard to coordinate. The executive branch now has the benefit of e-government; however, it still has the never-ending problem of coordination.