"Shed[s] light on the role played by the communist past, conceptions of the nation, and the maneuverings of political actors in the Czech and Slovak Republics.... Makes an important contribution to the study of politics in contemporary East-Central Europe."—Tim Haughton, Perspectives on Politics

"Scherpereel has written a solid book that is of importance to country specialists as well as to scholars of comparative public administration and EU studies."—Marek Rybar, Slavic Review

"Outstanding.... A fascinating account of efforts to create (and to resist the creation of) those viable state institutions necessary for a functioning democracy. Scherpereel's empirically rich and theoretically informed study provides new insights into the stickiness of the communist political legacy and how the international context has been critical in conditioning democratic development in postcommunist Europe."—Mark R. Beissinger, Princeton University