Although the office of prime minister exists in most countries, there are variations in how the office operates and is organized. The strong prime minister model is found in its purest form in the United Kingdom and other countries that were once part of the British Empire, especially India, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The premier does not have a large executive department but controls the central direction of policy by selecting all the cabinet ministers and junior ministers; by determining the legislative agenda of the government and strongly influencing economic priorities; by managing the civil service; by setting the structure and operations of the government (e.g., creating new departments or determining which cabinet committees make which decisions); and by leading the majority in parliament.
