Political Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Present Day

Political Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Present Day is a 2014 book by Yoshihiro Francis Fukuyama, author of The Origins of Political Order, written to shed light on political development in different regions.^[1]

Three Pillars for the Modern State

Fukuyama stresses the importance of the three pillars of the modern state, as described in the first volume:

1. The state (executive capability to exercise power).
2. Rule of Law (VS Rule by Law)
3. Democratic Accountability.

These ideas are exemplified throughout the first and the second part of the book via different cases.

• Denmark - used as an example for a perfect state.
• Nigeria - used as an example for a highly corrupted state that has been a case study of natural resources exploitation by its leaders.
• Greece and Italy - used as examples of highly corrupted states with pervasive patronage and clientelism local systems.
• China - an example of a strong state that has been able to organize in this form once and again, thousands years ago and nowadays.

Clientelism and Patronage

Fukuyama makes the argument that patronage behavior is rooted in the following biological roots:

1. Reciprocal Altruism.
2. Kinship Selection.

Criticism Regarding the American Checks and Balances

Fukuyama asserts that the U.S. is experiencing political decay, the dynamics of which are explored in the final section of the book. Fukuyama perceives this decay as manifesting in a declining quality of bureaucracy, dysfunctional political divides and political outcomes being captured by special interests rather than being directed towards the broader public good.

References