In Political Order and Political Decay, Fukuyama discusses how modern developed democracies have acquired various rigidities over time that have made institutional adaptation increasingly difficult. Therefore, all political systems, authoritarian and democratic are subject to decay over time. The reason why they are prone to decay lies with institutions and their inability to adapt and eventually fix themselves (Fukuyama 546). Fukuyama asserts that a system that was once successful and a stable liberal democracy does not guarantee that it will remain one continually. Political decay is bound to occur (Fukuyama 451). Fukuyama borrowed Samuel Huntington’s term of political decay to showcase how institutions failed to adapt to changing environments.
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The decay in the quality of American politics has been rooted in the United States has returned to being a state of “courts and parties” (Fukuyama 470). The courts and legislature have seized many of the proper functions of the executive, making the operation of the government incoherent and ineffective (Fukuyama 470). The courts instead of being restrictive with the government, they have become alternative instruments for the expansion of government. Congress has also given strong support to interest groups. Interest groups have managed to capture and control legislators legally. Interest groups have exercised massive influence than they should, by distorting taxes, spending, and raising deficit levels to manipulate the budget in their favor. They have also lured Congress to support their plans and proposals. As a result, this has led ordinary people to feel their “supposedly” democratic government no longer truly reflects their interests, but the importance of the elites. Thus, the spread of interest-groups influence, tend to undermine people’s trust in government. This distrust led to more legal checks and balances on administration, which alters the quality and effectiveness of government (Fukuyama 470). These problems arose in the United States because there was a disparity between the strength and competence of the state and the institutions that were initially designed to regulate the state. Therefore, there is too much law and democracy compared to American state capacity (Fukuyama 471). The Untied State’s political system decayed over time because of the systems of checks and balances has created polarization (Fukuyama 503). Furthermore, the dominant Democrat and Republican Party have also become more “ideologically polarized” (Fukuyama 489). This has prevented important legislations aimed to benefit American citizens from passing. For instance, in the unsettling
The decay in the quality of American politics has been rooted in the United States has returned to being a state of “courts and parties” (Fukuyama 470). The courts and legislature have seized many of the proper functions of the executive, making the operation of the government incoherent and ineffective (Fukuyama 470). The courts instead of being restrictive with the government, they have become alternative instruments for the expansion of government. Congress has also given strong support to interest groups. Interest groups have managed to capture and control legislators legally. Interest groups have exercised massive influence than they should, by distorting taxes, spending, and raising deficit levels to manipulate the budget in their favor. They have also lured Congress to support their plans and proposals. As a result, this has led ordinary people to feel their “supposedly” democratic government no longer truly reflects their interests, but the importance of the elites. Thus, the spread of interest-groups influence, tend to undermine people’s trust in government. This distrust led to more legal checks and balances on administration, which alters the quality and effectiveness of government (Fukuyama 470). These problems arose in the United States because there was a disparity between the strength and competence of the state and the institutions that were initially designed to regulate the state. Therefore, there is too much law and democracy compared to American state capacity (Fukuyama 471). The Untied State’s political system decayed over time because of the systems of checks and balances has created polarization (Fukuyama 503). Furthermore, the dominant Democrat and Republican Party have also become more “ideologically polarized” (Fukuyama 489). This has prevented important legislations aimed to benefit American citizens from passing. For instance, in the unsettling