"Provides a useful and nicely detailed analysis of the mechanics of state building in the post-communist transformation, which is a fairly unique historical episode. The lessons drawn here are of more than historical interest, however, for the process is far from complete in the post-communist region and, of course is very relevant in other parts of the globe... Fritz's book provides a uniquely deep and detailed account of the mechanics of state building processes; such an account is not often found in the literature, which is more focused on theoretical elegance... The work is a very valuable one and makes a relatively unique contribution in giving such an in-depth analysis of state-building problems. I recommend it highly to those interested in post-communist evolution or in the theory and practice of democratization. I will be assigning it as a secondary text in my course on the political economy of transition and nation building."
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