This volume investigates the structural and political conditions that determine whether emerging democracies successfully establish and maintain civilian control over their military institutions. David Kuehn and Aurel Croissant utilize a multi-dimensional conceptual framework to assess the depth of democratic oversight in post-authoritarian states. By applying this framework to a comprehensive dataset of 66 countries, the authors test a new theory regarding the institutionalization of civil-military relations.

Experts recognize this work as a rigorous contribution to the study of democratic consolidation and civil-military relations. Scholars frequently note the academic density of the prose and the utility of the large-scale dataset for comparative political research.