Francis Fukuyama on Valuing the Deep State (2023 ASPA Donald C. Stone Lecture) Artwork

Democracy IRL

Fostering and maintaining democracy, development and the rule of law is the great challenge of our time. Join Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law and our host, political scientist Francis Fukuyama, for a series of conversations with thought leaders and academics alike that touch on the ways in which democracy and development are being challenged today by authoritarian resurgence, misinformation, the perils of a changing climate, and more.

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Francis Fukuyama on Valuing the Deep State (2023 ASPA Donald C. Stone Lecture)

March 24, 2023 • Francis Fukuyama • Season 2 • Episode 5

On March 21, 2023, Francis Fukuyama delivered the prestigious Donald C. Stone Lecture at the annual meeting of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), the leading academic association focusing on the study of the public sector. This special episode is a recording of his talk, “Valuing the Deep State,” in which he defends the importance of having a nonpartisan, expert, professional civil service for democratic governance. Using examples from the COVID pandemic and recent Supreme Court cases, Fukuyama argues that there needs to be a balance between autonomous bureaucracies shielded from excessive political interference, and accountability to democratic publics.

Democracy IRL is produced by the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL), part of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) at Stanford University.

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