Abramo Fimo Kenneth Organski (12 May 1923 – 6 March 1998) was Professor of

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, the founder of

power transition theory Power transition theory is a theory about the nature of war, in relation to the power in international relations. The theory was first published in 1958 by its creator, A.F.K. Organski, in his textbook, ''World Politics'' (1958). Theory Organski ...

and a co-founder of Decision Insights, Inc. His pioneering work spanned several decades, and focused on specific aspects of world politics, including: political

demography Demography () is the statistical study of human populations: their size, composition (e.g., ethnic group, age), and how they change through the interplay of fertility (births), mortality (deaths), and migration. Demographic analysis examine ...

; political development; and grand strategy. He was the author of ''World Politics'', ''The Stages of Political Development'', ''The War Ledger'', ''Birth, Death and Taxes'', and ''The $36 Billion Bargain''. Other publications are available in scholarly journals. A.F.K. Organski was born in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. As a youth, he attended the Ginnasio Liceo Torquato Tasso. He went to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, fleeing the anti-Jewish laws of Benito Mussolini's regime, and served with the American armed forces in the Pacific theater from 1943 to 1945. He became an American citizen in 1944. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he settled in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, and earned his B.A. (1947), M.A. (1948), and Ph.D. (1951) degrees from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

. In 1952, he started teaching at

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...

, moving in 1964 to the University of Michigan, where he became professor of political science and a senior research scientist in the Institute for Social Research. He co-founded Decision Insights, a consulting firm that introduced scientific rigor to the development and execution of policy- and decision-making in government and in business. He introduced

in 1958. Political scientist Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, one of Organski's students, credits Organski's work as the primary inspiration for

selectorate theory The selectorate theory is a theory of government that studies the interactive relationships between political survival strategies and economic realities. It is first detailed in '' The Logic of Political Survival'', authored by Bruce Bueno de Mesq ...

References

1923 births 1998 deaths American political writers American male non-fiction writers American political philosophers University of Michigan faculty Brooklyn College faculty 20th-century American male writers Italian emigrants to the United States New York University alumni 20th-century American political scientists {{US-political-writer-stub