“This paper uses an institutional approach in analysing the progress made by the APRM across the currently signed up countries. It argues that the African leadership/government(s) is in the position of gate-keeper in this review exercise, hence, meaningful progress will be difficult to achieve within a reasonable and workable time period. It also points out that democracy and dialoguing both need rules that guide actions and the APRM has left too many loose
ends. It discusses the experiences of the countries that have undergone the process and how these provide valuable information for perfecting the APRM process.The paper starts off with a brief theoretical debate on managing institutional change. It then presents an overview of the APRM and a current status of country reviews. The main text focuses on the key APRM institutions, that is, the structures, the actors and the element of public participation. A brief
discussion on general constraints/challenges faced by the countries in this process precedes the conclusion.”
