Harry Potter and the Terrible Government: An Analysis of Rowling's Magical Government
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J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels chronicle the adventures of a young wizard through his magical education and quest to defeat the evil Lord Voldemort. Set in a detailed universe, the world’s values, ethics, and infrastructure are all thoroughly developed. However, the structure of the magical government (Ministry of Magic) is exceptionally flawed and these inadequacies were exploited throughout the series to satisfy the ends of the antagonists. This study examines the United Kingdom’s magical government construction as outlined by Rowling, focusing on established policy implementation and appointment of officials. After distinguishing failings of the system, potential solutions are outlined through a comparative government analysis. The new policies were assembled by analyzing and adopting policies from nations which received top Democracy Index ratings by the Economist Intelligence Unit from 2011-2014. Changes to the Ministry of Magic include the implementation of voting procedures and the promotion of separation of powers. Though fictional, these changes would significantly improve transparency and democracy in magical government and exemplify the importance of government agencies and structure on society.