ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines the impact of international financial institutions on the transition process. It shows that the divergent donor-recipient relations across the region, combined with the different perspectives on the relationship between the political and economic reform processes, defies generalizability and simplistic depictions of the relationship between structural economic reform and democracy. The book argues for the importance of constitutional development to the democratic transition process in East Africa. It describes the impact of organizations on the democratization process in East Africa by specifically addressing why civil society organizations have emerged as an important alternative to weak opposition political parties. The book also argues that the maintenance of state hegemony, the personalization of power, and the centralization of the executive branch have greatly handicapped the transition to democratic rule, thus calling into question the sustainability of the democratic project in all three countries.
