Principles Of Government

All material on this site is for educational purposes only.
This site is designed to generate ideas for a supplementary section on think tank websites.
An online subscription to the Wall Street Journal is required get full use of this site.
(A) Articles are foundational content and (B) Articles are urgently important but may be replaced as they become dated

(A) Education

Even-Handed History at the National Archives

By Michael Auslin - Jan. 5, 2026

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By Michael Auslin – Jan. 5, 2026 – Now, after an eight-year, $40 million redesign of its exhibition spaces, the National Archives building is poised to become the capital’s leading venue for civics education… No other museum in Washington has comparable technology, but it is the content of the exhibits that has the potential to revitalize civics education. The museum presents different sides to important national issues, which itself is a civics lesson. Read More

Habits for Humanity in the Age of AI

By Ben Sasse - May 8, 2026

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By Ben Sasse – May 8, 2026 – America’s experiment in self-government has always depended on wisdom and self-control. These aren’t virtues that politicians or bureaucrats could ever impart. They aren’t fostered by technology’s illusion of endless consumption, infinite options and cost-free disembodiment. No, the virtues for a life well-lived are taught, modeled and practiced in the daily life of society’s smallest but most important platoons—chief among them the family. Read More

Higher Ed Needs Receivership, Not Reform

By John Ellis - Nov. 10, 2025

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By John Ellis – Nov. 10, 2025 – The discrepancy between what we fund the campuses for and what they are doing is enormous. Promotion of knowledge and understanding has given way to inculcation of a poisonous fringe ideology. Students are encouraged to despise their society and kept ignorant of anything that might make them think otherwise. The only viable solution is to place schools in “receivership,” a well-established procedure to reform ailing college departments. A new chairman is imposed on a department with a free hand to make whatever appointments he thinks necessary to restore the department to health. By action of lawmakers or trustees, a new president can be imposed on a campus with a mandate to return the school to its proper mission by appointing subordinate administrators, especially deans, committed to reform. Read More

Jewish History Is the Antidote to Antisemitism AA

By Eric Cohen - Sept. 23, 2025

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By Eric Cohen – Sept. 23, 2025 – Attacks on Jewish college students provoked a larger national debate about the radicalization of the humanities and anti-American animus that have corrupted so many universities. The confrontation between Israel and its enemies has forced the democratic nations of the world to reckon with—or self-righteously deny—the true costs of defending civilization against barbarism. …The Jews are a thermometer for the moral condition of the Western world and the health of our civic institutions. Read More

America’s Exorbitant Privilege AA

By Paola Sapienza – 10 27 2025

© 2025 Hoover Institution

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By Paola Sapienza – 10 27 2025 – We can continue leveraging America’s exorbitant privilege in the global talent market, or we can retreat into protectionism that hands our competitive advantages to countries eager to welcome the talent we reject. If the United States wants to remain the world’s innovation leader, it must continue to welcome those willing to take the leap, cross oceans, and devote their lives to discovery. Our edge is selection from a larger global pool. Closing the door shrinks our innovative future. The choice is openness or stagnation. …In a globally competitive economy, the countries that win will be those that can assemble the best teams, regardless of where team members were born. The United States has spent decades building this capability. We abandon it at our peril—and we certainly shouldn’t abandon it in a way that strangles the startup ecosystem that made it possible in the first place. Read More