Thursday, Oct. 2, Francis Fukuyama, political scientist and philosopher widely known for his book “The End of History and the Last Man,” delivered a talk on the importance of bureaucratic delegation in modern society at the College of William and Mary in Washington Hall.
Hosted by the Global Research Institute and Lettie Pate Evans Professor of Government Stephen Hanson, Fukuyama’s talk began at 5 p.m., lasting an hour. Hanson asked him questions throughout and audience questions from students followed. Some students stayed afterwards to take pictures with Fukuyama, while others could not get into the room, which had reached capacity.
Nico Giro-Martin ’27, who had not been able to make it into the talk because the room was full, attested to this overcrowding.
“I was told by my professor, ‘Oh, come, it’s for a participation grade,’” he said. “And I thought, even if it wasn’t a participation, it would be great to hear a leading IR theorist. I arrived late and couldn’t get in, with a plethora of students.”
The opening of his lecture focused on the concept of principal-agent theory, which holds that leaders must delegate to their subordinates to properly execute their wishes. He cited literature dating back to the 1930s in fields such as economics, as well as real-world examples such as Toyota’s car-manufacturing process and the World Bank’s financial aid programs.
Dr. Fukuyama argued that a successful modern government depends on leaders being able to successfully entrust decision-making to lower-ranking experts who can successfully carry out their policy agenda. He emphasized that leaders also need to ensure some degree of control through formal and informal mechanisms.
Within this line of thinking, Fukuyama argued that the “attack on the administrative state” by Donald Trump’s administration, exemplified by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency’s mass firings of federal workers, threatens the foundations of American governance because it delegates leadership and power to people lacking in specific expertise within their domains.
“I want to convince people that it’s important to have a modern, competent state and there’s a lot of threats to that right now,” Fukuyama said.
Jeremiah Harkless ’29 shared his reaction to the talk.
“I thought it was very enlightening,” Harkless said. “I was not very familiar with Fukuyama’s political theories, but I will check out The End of History. I thought his theories on bureaucracy were very eye-opening.”
Similarly, Charlotte Zoeller ’27 had positive things to say about Fukuyama’s lecture.
“I loved it. I thought it was great. It was really great to have someone this prominent. I thought it was really relevant, the agents-principals discussion, and it will hopefully inform a lot of our generation as we go into these public service roles,” Zoeller said.
Isabel Spielberger ’26 reflected on Fukuyama’s point about delegation and governance playing out in the current political climate.
“I had never really thought about the way delegation can have such a drastic impact on our government’s functioning, and given the current political climate, I thought it was a very enlightening lecture,” Spielberger said.
A handful of professors were also in attendance, and seemed to appreciate Fukuyama’s arguments. George and Mary Hylton Professor of International Relations and Director of the Global Research Institute Michael Tierney shared his reaction on major takeaways Fukuyama left students with, prompting further research and reflection into the contemporary moment.
“I thought he gave everyone in the room a lot to think about and follow up on,” Tierney said. “I thought it was a bit of an appetizer, and he invited us to think harder and read more deeply.”
