secretary of state
Let an agent identify which secretary of state office is meant by country, explain its powers, find current office holders from official sources, and address correspondence correctly.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent identify which secretary of state office is meant by country, explain its powers, find current office holders from official sources, and address correspondence correctly.
A senior government office whose meaning varies by country: in the United States the head of the foreign affairs department and, in states, the officer handling elections and records; in the United Kingdom a cabinet minister heading a department; in many countries a junior minister below a minister; and in the Holy See the head of the Secretariat of State; related titles include state and municipal secretaries.
What it is for: Senior public administration and government leadership.
It can be identify the office by country and level; explain powers and responsibilities; find the current holder; address the office correctly.
Distinguishing features
Senior government office
Country-specific meaning
Appointed or elected
Heads or assists a department
What it looks like
Not physical; an office held by an official.
How it is recognised
Title used in official documents
Varies from cabinet head to junior minister
Foreign minister is the equivalent in many countries
Related models
is a kind of - category
is a kind of - category
is related to - other leadership role
is accountable to - legislature
In practice
Families and kinds
US Secretary of State and state secretaries of state
UK secretaries of state
junior ministers titled secretary of state
Vatican Secretary of State
state and municipal secretaries
Standards and regulation
National constitutions and ministerial codes
Election law for US state secretaries of state
Failure modes and hazards
Confusing offices across countries
Outdated office holders
Wrong forms of address
Also called
+125
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Which Identify the office.
Country first.
Country
By country.
Country
By country.
- Which country and level of government is meant, and what does the office do there? boundary
- Is it a cabinet head or a junior minister? definition
Equivalents
Comparable offices.
Equivalents
Equivalents.
- What is the equivalent office in another country, such as foreign minister? definition
- Which entry fits? action
Powers Responsibilities.
Powers are defined by law.
Duties
What they do.
Duties
Duties.
- What powers and duties does the office hold under law? provenance
- How is the holder appointed or elected? provenance
Elections
US state role.
Elections
US state role.
- What role do US state secretaries of state play in elections and business records? provenance
- How are disputes about their decisions resolved? provenance
Holder Current office holder.
Sources matter.
Who
Who holds it.
Who
Who holds it.
- Who currently holds the office, according to the official site? provenance
- Since when? provenance
Contact
Correspondence.
Contact
Correspondence.
- How should the office be addressed formally? provenance
- Which office handles public correspondence? provenance
Neutral Describing officials.
Neutrality matters.
Record
Actions and record.
Record
Record.
- How are the office holder decisions described, with sources and attribution? provenance
- Are criticisms and defences attributed? boundary
History
History of the office.
History
History.
- How did the office develop? provenance
- Which past holders are notable? provenance
What the second pass must settle
- Should each national office be a separate entry?
- How should office holder data be sourced?
- How should municipal and state variants be linked?