About

Francis Fukuyama is Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) and serves as the Director of the Susan Ford Dorsey Master's in International Policy (MIP) at Stanford. He is also a professor, by courtesy, of Political Science. Dr. Fukuyama has written extensively on issues related to development and international politics. His notable works include the 1992 book, The End of History and the Last Man, which has been published in over twenty foreign editions, and his most recent book, Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment, published in September 2018. He holds a B.A. from Cornell University in Classics and a Ph.D. from Harvard University in Political Science. His professional background includes membership in the Political Science Department of the RAND Corporation and the Policy Planning Staff of the US Department of State. He has held academic positions such as the Omer L. and Nancy Hirst Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University and the Bernard L. Schwartz Professor of International Political Economy at Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. Dr. Fukuyama served on the President’s Council on Bioethics from 2001 to 2004. He holds honorary doctorates from several institutions, including Connecticut College, Doane College, Doshisha University, Kansai University, and Aarhus University, and is a non-resident fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Center for Global Development. He is a member of various professional organizations, including the American Political Science Association and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Research topics

• Sociology
• Political Science
• Public relations
• Law
• Social Science
• History
• Computer Science
• Virology
• Medicine
• Engineering
• Media studies
• Business
• Public administration

Selected publications

• Desempeñando para la democracia: por qué los resultados importan

  Revista Elecciones · 2025-12-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  La ola global de retroceso democrático ha puesto en tela de juicio el predominio de la democracia en el siglo XXI. Un presunto declive en la confianza política y en la satisfacción con la democracia, junto con el ascenso de autocracias de alto rendimiento, ha generado conjeturas sobre si el apoyo popular al proyecto democrático se está erosionando en favor de alternativas nuevas y más autoritarias. Parte de este debate se centra en el grado de importancia que poseen la prestación de servicios y la obtención de resultados para la legitimidad y estabilidad de la democracia. Sostenemos que la eficacia en la provisión de servicios a la ciudadanía resulta crucial para reconstruir el contrato social y afianzar el apoyo a la democracia, además de contrarrestar su retroceso. Para efectos de exposición, reflexionamos sobre la infraestructura como un bien público.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Biaxial alignment of DyBa₂Cu₃O_y superconductor by linear drive type modulated rotating magnetic field

  Journal of Physics Conference Series · 2025-07-01

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Linear-drive type modulated rotating magnetic field (LDT-MRF) equipment enables generation of MRF by the reciprocation motion of magnet array without using the control of sample rotation. Biaxial alignment of DyBa 2 Cu 3 O y (y∼7) with twin microstructures was examined by LDT-MRF with three different magnet arrays, and we compared their orientation degrees. Clear difference in the orientation degrees appeared among the three magnet arrays. The electromagnetic simulation by the finite element method revealed the position dependence of distribution of magnetic flux lines, and specifications of MRF were determined. The three magnet arrays showed similar values on averaged rotating magnetic field component and averaged static field component. However, it was found that the magnet array with the lowest biaxial orientation degree showed the minimum rotating magnetic field component with a level of 0.5 T. This value was obviously lower than those in the other two magnet arrays. The present study proposed that the analysis by using the simulation is important to develop the magnet array with desirable specifications.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Delivering for Democracy: Why Results Matter

  Journal of democracy · 2025-03-27 · 12 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract: The global wave of democratic backsliding has questioned the ascendancy of democracy in the 21st century. A purported decline in political trust and satisfaction with democracy, alongside the rise of high-performing autocracies, has sparked conjectures that popular support for the democratic project is eroding in favor of new, more authoritarian alternatives. Part of this discussion concerns the extent to which service delivery and outcomes matter for the legitimacy and stability of democracy. We argue that delivery for citizens is crucial to rebuilding the social contract and hence support for democracy alongside thwarting backsliding. We reflect on infrastructure as a public good for exposition.

  PublisherDOI

• Effect of viscosity of the dispersed media on the bi-axial orientation degrees in magnetically aligned Y123 powder

  Journal of Physics Conference Series · 2025-07-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract We clarified the dependence of biaxial orientation degrees on the initial viscosity ( η init ) and curing time ( t cure ) of resins used for YBa 2 Cu 3 O y (Y123) powder samples aligned under the modulated rotating magnetic fields (MRFs) in two different types of resin. The biaxial orientation degrees of the magnetically aligned Y123 powder samples significantly improved when using a resin with relatively lower η init and a longer t cure within the MRF range of 0.8 – 5 T. These findings contribute to the fabrication of rare-earth-based cuprate superconductor ceramics with high biaxial orientation degrees using permanent magnets and the colloidal process.

  PublisherDOI

• Elon Musk et le déclin de la civilisation occidentale

  Commentaire · 2025-02-28

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Failing states and failed politics: A call for public administration research

  Public Administration and Development · 2024-04-15 · 7 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Shaping the Future of Social Media with Middleware

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2024-12-13

  preprintOpen access

  Middleware, third-party software intermediaries between users and platforms,\nhas been broached as a means to decentralize the power of social media\nplatforms and enhance user agency. Middleware may enable a more user-centric\nand democratic approach to shaping digital experiences, offering a flexible\narchitecture as an alternative to both centrally controlled, opaque platforms\nand an unmoderated, uncurated internet. The widespread adoption of open\nmiddleware has long hinged on the cooperation of established major platforms;\nhowever, the recent growth of federated platforms, such as Mastodon and\nBluesky, has led to increased offerings and user awareness. In this report we\nconsider the potential of middleware as a means of enabling greater user\ncontrol over curation and moderation - two aspects of the social media\nexperience that are often mired in controversy. We evaluate the trade-offs and\nnegative externalities it might create, and discuss the technological,\nregulatory, and market dynamics that could either support or hinder its\nimplementation.\n

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• L’état de la démocratie mondiale en 2024

  Commentaire · 2024-03-05

  article1st authorCorresponding

  On assiste, depuis la fin du siècle dernier, à une critique radicale de la « théorie littéraire » et, beaucoup plus généralement, de tous les champs liés à l’essor des formalismes du début du xxe siècle et de leur théorisation – valant définition – de la littérature. Ces critiques ont notamment pour point aveugle la question de la fonction anthropologique du fait littéraire et de sa continuité. Aujourd’hui, la persistance de ce questionnement par la littérature de la notion d’identité atteste d’une survie des théories littéraires du siècle dernier et du lien qu’elles entretenaient avec une certaine conception du littéraire en relation avec l’idéologie, tout en mettant en évidence la permanence d’une question anthropologique.

  PublisherDOI

• Calibrating autonomy: How bureaucratic autonomy influences government quality in Brazil

  Governance · 2024-04-08 · 9 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract The interactions between bureaucratic agencies and political actors shape governance outcomes, yet scholars disagree about how bureaucratic autonomy relates to government quality. Some claim that enhancing autonomy improves quality, whereas others maintain the opposite. An influential article by Fukuyama (2013) in Governance suggests a curvilinear relationship, moderated by capacity. This article evaluates the theory empirically, focusing on within‐country variation and two dimensions of autonomy: independence and discretion. Drawing on an original survey of over 3200 public sector workers in Brazil and administrative data on 325,000 public servants, we find evidence suggesting that the relationship between perceived autonomy and quality depends on the type of perceived autonomy and level of capacity. Public servants' perceptions of independence from political actors are associated with increased perceptions about governance quality in a linear fashion. For perceived discretion, we find initial evidence of a Goldilocks relationship: too little reduces perceptions of government quality but so does too much, especially in low‐capacity areas. Our findings offer initial evidence that may qualify claims that limiting bureaucratic discretion while increasing political oversight improves governance; instead, context may be crucial.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Global Survey of Public Servants: A Foundation for Research on Public Servants around the World

  World Bank, Washington, DC eBooks · 2023-03-01 · 2 citations

  bookOpen access

  How do civil service management practices differ within and across governments? How do core attitudes of public servants—such as their motivation or satisfaction—differ within and across governments? Understanding how public administrations around the world function and differ is crucial for strengthening their effectiveness. Most comparative measures of bureaucracy rely on surveys of experts, households, or firms, rather than directly questioning bureaucrats. Direct surveys of public officials enable governments to benchmark themselves and scholars to study comparative public administration and the state differently, based on micro-data from actors who experience government first-hand. This paper introduces the Global Survey of Public Servants, a global initiative to collect and harmonize large-scale, comparable survey data on public servants. The Global Survey of Public Servants can help scholars compare public administrations around the world and understand the internal dynamics of governments, with the published Global Survey of Public Servants data freely available online.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• León R. Kass

  50 shared

• Paul H. Nitze

  49 shared

• William May

  49 shared

• William B. Hurlbut

  49 shared

• Stephen Carter

  University of Sydney

  49 shared

• Michael S. Gazzaniga

  49 shared

• Nelson Cromwell

  American Enterprise Institute

  49 shared

• John Daniel

  University of Missouri–Kansas City

  49 shared

Labs

• Center for Human Rights and International JusticePI

Education

• Ph.D., Political Science

  Stanford University

  1981

• B.A., Government

  Williams College

  1975

Awards & honors

• Honorary doctorates from Connecticut College, Doane College,…
• Pardee Rand Graduate School