Democratic Reform in Africa: The Quality of Progress. Edited by E. Gyimah-Boadi. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 2004. 351p. $59.95 cloth, $23.50 paper.

There are fads in political science and in the policy world and the 1990s produced a prominent example: the decade's virtually universal infatuation with democracy. The end of the Cold War seemed to have removed the last remaining impediments to democracy—communist tyranny and subversion—and around the world, humankind's natural inclination toward freedom and equality was expected to be exhibited in heart-warming periodic elections. Or so it seemed. Policymakers celebrated the collapse of authoritarian regimes and welcomed new nations into the community of democracies; political scientists busied themselves with analysis of the mechanics of transitions to democracy, the technicalities of democratic institutions, and the myriad contributions of civil society.