Acknowledgments

Today's political science too often inculcates a dispassionate view of politics among scholars. Somewhere in the "literature reviews," mathematical models, "event counts," and language of "transaction costs" are buried issues and incidents that have real impacts on people's lives. The research that led to this book offered the kind of political education graduate schools and secluded research centers do not provide. In the 1980s, restrictions on speech and association in Kenya chilled discussion of policy and institutional development. During the period in which the research was carried out, Kenyan civil servants became noticeably less willing to take decisions, for fear of disapproval, and government business in some ministries slowed markedly. Politics was not fit material for discussion in public places because of the proliferation of security agents in bars, clubs, and offices. The process of carrying out the study and writing successive drafts thus offered a series of object lessons about what it means to live in a political system rapidly becoming both less competitive and more uncertain. Those lessons were sometimes painful but always invaluable. My first debt is to those Kenyan citizens who tolerated my clumsy questions, took the time to discuss events in their country, and assumed the risks they did. I look forward to the day when I might acknowledge their assistance individually.

Because of the limits on information-gathering and analysis in Kenya, there are not only additional facts but also nuances and interpretations or events and statements the author may have overlooked. The

task of refining and improving this understanding will necessarily lie with others. This project has underscored what we all know but often do not acknowledge: scholarship is a community endeavor. It is my hope that my Kenyan colleagues, in particular, will be able to expand and correct the analysis presented.

In that context, my second debt is to fellow students of Kenyan affairs and Africa specialists. I benefited greatly from theoretical discussions with Robert Bates and have appreciated his continuing encouragement. David Throup provided meticulous comments on an early manuscript draft—certainly some of the most detailed I received, although I did not adequately acknowledge them at the time. Angelique Haugerud, Joel Barkan, Judith Geist, Barbara Grosch, David Leonard, Susanne Mueller, Kinuthia Macharia, and Steven Orvis also contributed valuably to various aspects of the research. I recognize that not all will agree with the conclusions this book derives but hope that the argument it offers will be the basis of many fruitful conversations.

I owe a great deal to the manuscript's two press readers, Thomas Callaghy and Crawford Young, who provided the most useful written comments. I am grateful to both for the time they invested and for their willingness to reveal their identities after the review process was over, which enabled me to pursue questions further. Their breadth of knowledge, sensitivity to the problems of scholarship in African settings, and understanding of the craft offered invaluable lessons.

My third debt is to the people who made the research and writing possible. The National Science Foundation gave a Dissertation Improvement Grant to support the fieldwork. William J. Foltz provided the initial encouragement to pursue the study of African politics and shaped the analytic approach of portions of the study in the course of many discussions. He inspired by his clarity of mind and encouraged, when continuation seemed impossible, with his pragmatism. Robert Harms offered insights from the histories of other African countries, intellectual breadth, and good-natured support throughout the research phase of the study. My colleagues in the Harvard Government Department and at the Center for International Affairs at Harvard have contributed greatly to the completion of the project. Their civility, commitment, and wit made possible an exchange of ideas I have found but rarely. Special thanks are due to Jorge Dominguez, Frances Hagopian, Samuel Huntington, Stephen Haggard, Robert Keohane, and Susan Pharr. Gwen Robinson deserves much appreciation for her meticulous

research assistance during the later stages of the manuscript's preparation.

Editors are often underappreciated. Without the great thoughtfulness and perseverance of the editorial team at the University of California Press, this book would not have been possible. Richard Holway, Erika Büky, Peter Dreyer, and Doug Abrams all worked very hard to ensure consistency and accuracy in the text and to push me to consider new material. Rarely is an author so lucky as to have the advice of two Africa-hands!

Finally, I would like to thank the members of my family, who have had to endure too many static-filled telephone calls, writing vacations, and mad dashes to airports.