Performance review: USA
What if we evaluated democratic governance the way we evaluate leadership?
The following introduction accompanies Performance Review: United States of America, a new piece by Ashleigh Axios published by Design Observer. Read the full piece on Design Observer.
Original illustration for Performance Review: United States of America, first published by Design Observer.
As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, many conversations focus on the milestone as a moment of celebration. But what if we also treated it as an opportunity for evaluation?
Instead of marking the anniversary with reflection alone, what if we also evaluated the institution that has endured across those 250 years?
The result is Performance Review: United States of America (1776–2026), a new piece I wrote for Design Observer. Using the familiar structure of workplace feedback, the piece examines three recurring questions that have shaped American democracy across generations:
Who belongs?
How should power be used?
What does a democracy owe?
Rather than recounting every chapter of American history, the essay looks for enduring patterns—where our stated values have aligned with our actions, where they have not, and what those patterns reveal about democratic leadership.
The review concludes with a development plan. Because democracies, like the people and institutions that sustain them, are never finished. Their strength depends on the willingness to examine what's working, confront what isn't, and continue improving.
Read the full article at Design Observer.
Illustration by Summer 2026 intern, Gina Bae.
