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English (U.S.)
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Topic:
Midterm Essay
Essay Instructions:
Draw on at least three course readings to answer one of the following questions:
1. Is the kind of power that a government exercises over its citizens different from the pure
coercive power of a bandit gang? Why or why not?
2. Which features of power make it likely to be abused, and what are the implications of this
tendency towards abuse for the construction of our political institutions?
3. Several features of power make it difficult to study in a rigorous or scientific way. What are
some of these obstacles, and how can we start to account for them in our research?
Like this: Aristotle made a certain claim (Aristotle, Politics).
Grading Guidelines
• Organization (15%) - The essay has a clear structure, and directs the reader’s attention from
section to section according to an obvious and well-explained procedure. The reader is never
confused about where we are in the argument or about why particular points are being made.
The essay has been proofread and spellchecked.
• Thesis (25%) - The essay states a coherent claim that addresses the question in the prompt.
This thesis is precise and well-specified, not vague or indefinite. The essay investigates the
thesis, and anticipates potential objections to it.
• Evidence (35%) - The essay engages with the course readings to support the claims made in
the thesis. The essay charitably reconstructs arguments made by these authors and evaluates
their implications for the thesis.
• Originality (25%) - The essay considers the issues raised by the prompt on their own terms.
Instead of just re-stating the claims made in course readings, the essays challenges some of
them respectfully and clearly, proposing new ways of thinking.
Essay Sample Content Preview:
Power's Inherent Tendency Towards Abuse
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Department: University
Course: Course code
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Power's Inherent Tendency Towards Abuse
Power is the capacity that makes a person do and achieve something. It is the engine that moves politics. Power enables leaders to make decisions, set and enforce laws, and take societies in different directions. But when this power remains unaccounted and uncontrolled, it can easily be morphed into a personal aggrandizement and domination tool. This essay discusses features that make power susceptible to abuse and, in doing so, examines what follows from such an in-built tendency for political institution design.
The concentration of power in one particular area is prone to its abuse. Where leadership has to fall in the hands of one person or a small group, the chances of manipulating the system easily for their benefit become high. Now consider a king with unfettered powers; he may rewrite the laws as and when he pleases, silencing any voice of dissent and even personally enriching himself at the expense of the people. Such a scenario allows abuse, as there is no check on this unfettered power. Another feature is discretion, which further enhances this risk. According to Aristotle (2019), leaders exercise discretionary powers in more complex political systems to interpret rules and make decisions. This flexibility allows them to act promptly in the face of emergent crises but, at the same time, has also opened them up to possible self-bias and self-interest. This amounts to a possibility in which a politician can use the discretionary funding to give payoffs to loyal supporters but not help the whole of the citizens (Morriss 2002).
The potential for abuse is fueled by opacity or a lack of transparency. The ultimate secrecy of the decision-making process makes it difficult to bring the leaders to account. Imagine a government negotiating behind the scenes, without reference to the interest of the public, and running the risk of compromise to their welfare in place of private deals and sideline agreements. ...
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