Government & citizenship
Rights, leadership, participation and the purposes of government.
GRE Issue Essay on National Greatness and Public Welfare
An argument that national greatness is best measured by whether a country enables people to live secure, dignified lives, while recognizing that leadership, art, and science matter when they contribute to human flourishing.
Questioning Authority and the Public Good
An argument that public scrutiny benefits society when it tests authority through evidence and accountable institutions, but becomes harmful when generalized distrust rejects legitimate processes.
Public Opinion and Officials’ Judgment
An argument that elected officials should generally exercise independent judgment while remaining accountable to constituents, with particular attention to constitutional design, rights, expertise, and urgent decisions.
Trust and Skepticism Toward New Leaders
An argument that people should begin with measured skepticism toward new leaders, then adjust their confidence according to evidence of competence, accountability, and respect for public or institutional purposes.
Should Public Information Be Designed for People With Different Abilities?
An argument that public information should be designed to be usable by people with different abilities, using U.S. election accessibility as a concrete example and considering the costs and limits of inclusive design.
Why Voters Need Reliable Information About Their Own State
An explanatory essay on why national voting statistics cannot replace state-specific guidance about registration, accessibility, and casting a ballot.
Politics: Idealism or Reasonable Consensus?
An argument that political leadership should keep ideals as its destination while using reasonable consensus as its ordinary method, with limits for compromises that entrench injustice or undermine democratic principles.
Ethical Standards and Effective Public Leadership: GRE Issue Essay
An evidence-based argument that ethical leadership is essential to durable public trust, while competence and judgment also determine whether officials can govern effectively.
Understanding Society: What Major Cities Reveal—and Miss
An argumentative essay explaining why major cities are powerful but incomplete windows into society, using the Morrill Act and the Second New Deal to show how national policies connect urban and rural life while obscuring some communities and histories.
Should Leaders Face a Five-Year Term Limit?
A qualified argument against imposing one five-year limit on leaders across business, politics, education, and government. The essay distinguishes continuity from entrenchment and argues for role-specific accountability.
GRE Practice: Do Demands Create Leaders?
An argumentative essay examines whether demanding circumstances create leadership, using the documented decisions and public actions of Dwight D. Eisenhower and Franklin D. Roosevelt to distinguish a crisis’s revealing force from the preparation, judgment, and character leaders bring to it.
GRE Practice: Political Secrecy and the Public’s Right to Know
An argumentative essay weighing limited, temporary secrecy against democratic accountability, using Jefferson’s 1803 exploration proposal and the Truman Doctrine as historical examples.