Introduction

Abstract

Institutionalisation is an important process that remains shrouded in mystery. Political science has experienced limited success in identifying the mechanisms conducive to institutionalisation mainly because mainstream institutionalist theories focus on Western countries with structured institutions. Therefore, this book proposes a new theory to account for institutionalisation in emerging democracies. The book argues that in democratising countries the memory of the past authoritarian regime and transition’s main crises shape elite interests in carrying out institutionalisation reforms. To substantiate the argument, I test it in case studies of military and judicial reform in Albania from 1992 to 2009. The book concludes that Albania was more successful in institutionalising the military than the judiciary because of its elites’ collective memory.