Political economist Fukuyama warns of 'weak states' in Messenger Lecture

Political economist Francis Fukuyama '74 delivers the first of his three Messenger Lectures, Feb. 18, in Goldwin Smith Hall. Charles Harrington/University Photography

By Robert Sullivan III '04

Cornell alumnus and political economist Francis Fukuyama, Class of 1974, delivered the first of his three Messenger Lectures on campus, Feb. 18, focusing on "The State After Sept. 11."

Fukuyama has drawn international acclaim for his books The End of History and the Last Man (1992) and Trust: The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity (1995). This first lecture in the series was delivered in Hollis E. Cornell Auditorium of Goldwin Smith Hall and was titled "The Missing Dimensions of Stateness."

Cornell President Hunter Rawlings gave the opening remarks for the lecture and said, "I can't imagine a better individual to address precisely that topic than Dr. Fukuyama."

Fukuyama argued that weak states are "the single most important problem that we face globally." He identified weak governments and discussed how they might be made stronger.

"Sept. 11 is an important turning point in global history," and future historians will mark "the end of the 20th century" with that day, Fukuyama argued, referring to the threat that weak governments, as a breeding ground for international terrorists, can pose to other states.

He outlined an analytical framework, within which he compared weak and strong states, by contrasting the scope of state functions and institutions with the strength of those functions. He identified five areas that contribute to a state's strength: culture, politics, legitimization, institutional design and organizational design.

"In general, increasing state capacity [for governance], regardless of how great the scope of your state is a good formula for promoting economic development," Fukuyama said. Increasing the capacity of a state's ability to govern and execute its own institutions is the key to long-term success, he added.

Fukuyama said he believes the most effective way to influence the state is through the application of organizational design reforms. He went on to say that much of the past 20 years have been spent reducing the influence of the state, but now we must enter the "build-up" phase. That phase must start with the institutions within governments that control everyday functions of the state. "Institutions matter," he said. But finding the right balance between a completely state-led model -- like Sweden's -- and a model with little to no government intervention can be quite difficult, he added.

The developed world must recognize that "economic development is a motor that gets other things going," and, Fukuyama said, "we need to solve the problem of [limited] access to democracy and developed capitalism." Access to these ideas will lead to stronger institutions within weak states, he argued.

Fukuyama graduated from Cornell with a B.A. in classics, went on to pursue comparative literature at Yale, but left to study government at Harvard, where he obtained a Ph.D. in 1981. He currently is the dean of faculty and Bernard L. Schwartz Professor of International Political Economy at Johns Hopkins University in the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies.

The Messenger Lectures -- named for Hiram J. Messenger, a Cornell graduate from the Class of 1880 and a longtime teacher of mathematics -- were founded in 1924 to bring the world's leading scholars on the evolution of civilization to campus. Traditionally Cornell's University Lectures Committee designates one Messenger nominee each semester.

Fukuyama's other Messenger lectures, on Feb. 20 and Feb. 21, were titled, respectively, "Weak States and the Black Hole of Public Administration" and "Democratic Legitimacy and the Nation-State." Additionally, Fukuyama gave a lecture Feb. 19, titled "Still Enchanted? The Modernity of Postindustrial Capitalism," at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art as part of the inaugural symposium of the Center for the Study of Economy and Society.