Joel D. Barkan is professor emeritus of political science at the University of Iowa and senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC. A long-time student of democratization and political economy across anglophone Africa, his numerous publications include Beyond Capitalism and Socialism in Kenya and Tanzania.

A puzzle underpins this groundbreaking study of legislative development in Africa: Why are variations in the extent of legislative authority and performance across the continent only partially related, if at all, to the overall level of democratization? And if democratization is not the prime determinant of legislative authority, what is? Exploring the constraints that have retarded the development and power of legislatures across Africa - and how members of some legislatures are breaking free of those constraints - the authors shed new light on the impact of the legislative branch on the political process in six emerging African democracies. This is a groundbreaking study of the development and impact of legislative authority in emerging African democracies.