Francis Fukuyama, a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies acclaimed for his scholarship on democracy, governance and political economy, is this year’s recipient of the Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science.

The prize, one of the most prestigious in political science, is being awarded to Fukuyama for his work in The Origins of Political Order (2011) and Political Order and Political Decay (2014).

The Johan Skytte Foundation at Uppsala University called the two volumes a “remarkable tour de force,” and selected Fukuyama for the prize “for having with breath-taking learnedness, clarity and courage thrown new light over the growth of modern political order.”

"I am extremely gratified to learn that I have been awarded the Johan Skytte Prize,” said Fukuyama, the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at FSI who will take the helm of the institute’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law in September. “I feel very humbled to be in the company of the extremely distinguished earlier recipients of this great honor.”

The Skytte Prize is awarded to scholars who have made the most valuable contributions to political science. Research in all areas of the discipline is considered: political theory, comparative politics, public administration and international relations. 

The prize, which will be given to Fukuyama during a ceremony in Uppsala in October, consists of a medal and an award of about $55,000.

Click here to read the official press release by Uppsala University.