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

In this second volume (preceded by Fukuyama's The Origins of Political Order|The Origins of Political Order|the origins of political order), Fukuyama sheds light on political development in different regions.

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

Throughout the book, Fukuyama criticizes the American bureaucracy as ineffective and clientelistic. Fukuyama claims that the U.S. is on is experiencing political decay.