Federalism In Ethiopia Research Articles

Shared identity, an integrative component of Ethiopian federalism: Informing shared society in the Konso‐Alle‐Derashe Area

AbstractThis study explores a shared identity framework for inclusive ethnic relationships under Ethiopian federalism. Decades of the federal experiment show mixed results. On the one hand, it enabled nationalities to exercise extensive rights and freedoms. On the other hand, however, it coincided with pervasive conflicts and state fragility. Contrary to the view that ethnic federalism is fundamentally flawed, this study argues that the problems are epiphenomenons that can be improved. Using an exploratory research approach, the study has taken the Konso‐Derashe‐Alle area to show how shared identity helps to resolve the contradiction in Ethiopian federalism. According to the findings, maturing ethnicity and existing political consciousness suggest ethnic federalism as a viable system for the study area but it should be supplemented by a framework of shared spaces such as the shared society system that capitalizes on the extensive shared sociocultural values of the area to overturn the growing exclusive ethnicity.

Political and Legal Disarrays of Separation of Powers in the Oromia Regional State Structure

In principle, a functional division of powers is a prerequisite for limited government. Oromia Regional State, the largest sub-national state in the Ethiopian federation, can exercise upward influence if it develops a limited government with a strong separation of power within its borders. The purpose of this paper is to make an effort to look into the political and legal difficulties that threatened separation of power among the major participants in the region's power dispersion structure. In order to achieve this, the study employed interviews with a few specifically chosen experts and officials from the three arms of regional government, as well as a pertinent literature analysis and personal observation. This led to the discovery that several political and legal constraints significantly restrict the power structure in the region. Ultimately, it was proposed that in order for the region to ensure genuine separation of powers, political players would need to work together to create a political culture that supports constitutionalism and maintain their commitment to the rule of law.

The political economy of fiscal transfers: The case of Ethiopia

AbstractThis article examines the political economy of fiscal transfers in Ethiopia. Utilising an original data set spanning 1995–2020, as well as interviews and document analyses, the article illustrates how different factors interact to shape the distribution of grants. Statistical analysis indicates that population size is critical in determining regional grant shares. However, the analyses reveal a pattern of ethno‐regional favouritism in grant distributions during the early stages of Ethiopian federalism. During that period, opaque and centralised decision‐making processes, coupled with the dominant influence of the Tigray People's Liberation Front in the federal government, resulted in grant distribution deviating from principles of fiscal equity. Over time, this evolved into more fluid forms of negotiation influenced by intra‐party competition, dynamics of bargaining between the central and regional authorities, and regional assertiveness, collectively shaping the allocation of grants alongside the grant formula. The analysis highlights how economically and politically marginalised regions are disadvantaged, especially when their population is small. The absence of an independent grant agency means that political considerations continue to affect seemingly formula‐driven allocations. The Ethiopian case underscores how intra‐party bargaining and alignment along ethnic and regional lines undermine the effectiveness of formula‐based grant allocations in the absence of an independent and empowered grant agency.

Legislative Power over Mineral Resources in the Ethiopian Federation: Legal and Practical Challenges

The assignment of legislative power over mineral resources is a highly contentious issue in federal constitutional design. This article aims to shed light on this issue by examining the assignment and exercise of legislative powers over mineral resources in the Ethiopian Federation. A qualitative research approach was used which included analysis of laws, examining documents and in-depth interviews. The legal framework, policy documents, and decisions of government officials relating to legislative authority over mineral resources were scrutinized. Furthermore, interviews were conducted with key stakeholders involved in the matter to gain an understanding of the actual challenges and difficulties associated with the exercise of this power. An integrated data analysis approach is used. According to the analysis, the Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia lacks clarity regarding legislative power over mineral resources. The study also reveals significant gaps in the institutional and legal frameworks governing the exercise of legislative power over mineral resources. These gaps have also resulted in the development of a legal framework that contradicts the principles laid out in the Constitution. The findings highlight the need to address the legal and practical challenges within the Ethiopian Federation.

The Impact of Intergovernmental Transfers on Fiscal Behaviour of Local Government in Ethiopia

This paper examines the effect of intergovernmental fiscal transfers on the fiscal behaviour of local governments in Ethiopia for the period 2004-2018. The empirical findings suggest that central government grants bolster state-level employment and expenditure. However, grants from the central government to states do not crowd out state-level revenue collection. Hence, this paper argues that fiscal decentralisation in Ethiopia has mostly, at least in theory, taken the form of devolution of the power to tax and spend public money. However, on average state-level revenue can only finance up to 26 percent of their annual expenditure. As a result, fiscal federalism in Ethiopia appears to be a delegation of spending responsibilities. It must be considered in a decentralized tax system, but with a transfer scheme and political hierarchy. The results are robust to alternative econometric estimation techniques.

The processes for making and unmaking of interregional boundaries in the Ethiopian federation

The processes for making and unmaking of interregional boundaries in the Ethiopian federation

The Party System in Ethiopia

Abstract Political parties and their internal working policy and pattern of interactions have a profound impact on the operation of federations and the character of intergovernmental relations (IGR). By using the Ethiopian party system as a case study, this article aims to explore the impacts of party ideology, structure and style of functioning on the overall operation of a federation and the (de)institutionalisation of intergovernmental relations. It shows that the party structure, internal practices and ideological conviction of two parties—the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and the Prosperity Party (PP)—have shaped and reshaped the functioning of the Ethiopian federation and the dynamics of vertical and horizontal relations. At the same time, constitutional and IGR principles have been sidelined. There is a need to entrench stable and formal IGR frameworks for negotiation, the exchange of information and co-operation between federal and sub-state institutions. Reducing excessive reliance on the party line is essential to optimise the regularity, continuity and effectiveness of the interactions.

FROM FORMATION TO REDEFINITION: EXPLORING THE PRINCIPLES OF CONSTITUENT UNIT BOUNDARY (UN)MAKING IN THE ETHIOPIAN FEDERATION

This article examined the principles underlied the (un)making of constituent unit boundaries of the Ethiopian federation from its inception in 1992 until its redefinition in 1994. It organized the data using various media reports, retrieved life experiences from seven purposely chosen Key Informant Interviews, and conducted a qualitative analysis of documents. Accordingly, it revealed eight (8) principles that were utilized in the establishment of interregional states’ boundaries in Ethiopia, including the “four principles” enshrined in the 1995 Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) Constitution and the principles of agreement among and/or between adjacent nationalities, ethnoterritoriality, ethnoculturality, and ethnolinguisticity. It also revealed historical considerations and informal agreements between officials. It was discovered that the political objectives of ethno-national groupings dictated the implementation of these principles. It is discovered that interregional state boundaries making of the 1992 had a paramount ramifications for nationality groups’ ability to safeguard, promote, and preserve the ethnonational groups’ identities.

From the Great Nationalism to Narrower Ethnonationalism in Post-1991 Ethiopian Federalism: Counter Narrative Advent of the Amhara Ethnic Nationalist Movements Sibuh Gebeyaw Tareke Department of Political Science and International Studies Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia Email: sibuh2003@gmail.com

Ethiopia is a multiethnic and multi-linguistic state. The country's political history has shown that it has been an empire state since ancient times. However, its diverse ethnic groups existed together as Ethiopian nationalists. Following the introduction of the socialist-oriented federal state in 1991, ethnonational movements took place in Ethiopian politics. The 1995 FDRE constitution gives the sovereign power to "nations, nationalities, and peoples" to maintain unity along with diversity. It also created ethnic federalism-based territorial units to liberate other ethnic groups from the past Amhara 'Neftegna' domination system. However, the recognition of these rights has promoted ethnonationalism rather than Ethiopianism. And also creates a tendency in other regions as Amharans have historically oppressed the different ethnic groups. Thus, the Amhara people who live in other areas have been discriminated against. This phenomenon has intensified the advent of Amhara nationalist movements. This study explores the theoretical frameworks of ethnonationalism and federalism. It also examined the causes and impacts of the deterioration of Ethiopianism and the advent of the Amhara nationalist movements in the case study areas. In the end, it provides mechanisms to maintain unity along with diversity in future Ethiopia.

Leadership behaviour and Human Resource Management Practice mediation between strategic plan and performance of selected Ethiopian sports federation

The purpose of the study was to identify the relationship between strategic plan and performance through leadership behavior and Human Resource Management Practice (HRMP) of the selected Ethiopian sports federation. The study used a cross-sectional research design. A sample size of ninety-five (n = 95) respondents participated. The data was processed using IBM SPSS Amos 23.0 software. Structural equation modeling and Confirmatory Factory Analysis (CFA) have been used for data analysis. Leadership behavior and HRMP play an important mediating role between strategic plans and the performance of sports federations with (β= .86, P=0.00). The finding of the study confirms that leadership behavior and HRMP partially mediate the relationship between the strategic plan and the performance of both federations. The study recommended that it is advisable if selected Ethiopian sports federations to work on capacity development programs on human resource development and take up-to-date leadership training frequently, this will enable to enhance the performance of both federations.

Political Identity as Temporal Collapse: Ethiopian Federalism and Contested Ogaden Histories

Abstract Since the 1980s, analyses of African political identities have emphasized identity manipulation as a governance tool. In the Somali Horn of Africa, however, politicians’ efforts to reinvent identities confront rigid understandings of genealogical clanship as a key component of identity and political mobilization. This article explores how government efforts to construct a new ‘Ethiopian–Somali’ identity within Ethiopia’s ethnic-federal system are entangled with attempts to reinterpret clan genealogies and histories. We focus on efforts to revise the history of clans within the broader Ogaden Somali clan group and trace the possibilities and limits of these revisions in relation to legacies of colonialism as well as popular understandings of Ogaden identity. Drawing on fieldwork and archival research, we show that political struggles over Somalis’ integration with Ethiopia orient around Somali clanship, but that clanship is not a mechanical tool of mobilization, as it is often portrayed. We suggest that genealogical relatedness does not equate to political loyalty, but genealogical discourse provides a framework by which various actors reinterpret contemporary events by collapsing history into the present to imbue clan, ethnic, and national identities with political significance.

The political and cultural inclusion of intra‐state ethnic minorities in Ethiopia: The case of the Qimant of Amhara state

AbstractConflicts between the Qimant community – an intra‐state minority ethnic group endogenous to Amhara state in the Ethiopian federation – and the state’s special police forces have caused hundreds of deaths and the internal displacement of close to 50,000 people. Linked to these conflicts are the Qimants’ demands for recognition as a distinct ethnic community and the establishment of local government in the territories they inhabit; demands which have not received a satisfactory response from the federal or Amhara state government and which officials view with disdain. The situation raises several questions. Do the federal and regional‐state constitutions provide the necessary framework for accommodating intra‐state ethnic minorities such as the Qimant? If they do, why have the two levels of government failed to resolve the Qimant issue peacefully? What institutional mechanisms could they have used to satisfy the demands of the Qimant community? This article seeks to answer these and related questions.

ETHIOPIA: FEDERALISM, PARTY MERGER AND CONFLICTS

This article has a twin mission: examining the impact of party merger on the federal arrangement and its association with the current conflicts in Ethiopia. The 1995 federal constitution of Ethiopia devolves powers to regional states. Since then, each regional state was fused with its distinct ruling party that created a coalition at the federal level. This state-party fused federal arrangement faced serious challenges with the rise of intra coalition disagreements since 2016 following the protest movements in the country, which further plunged Ethiopia into a devastating civil war since November 2020. This article asks what caused the conflicts. While recognizing the multidimensional roots of the conflicts, this article uses a political party-driven theory of federalism in order to identify the political processes that led to the conflicts. It argues that in a multiethnic federation such as Ethiopia where there is state-party fusion, a ruling party’s metamorphosis from a coalition to a union may not only centralize power but could also result in both de facto merger of that fragile federation and conflicts. Delinking the state from the party through inclusive national negotiations and democratic elections within a federal arrangement might help transition Ethiopia to a stable country. Keywords: Civil war, conflicts, political parties, Ethiopian federalism, Prosperity Party, power centralization, Abiy Ahmed.

Functioning of Ethnic Federalism in Ethiopia: An Overlook to Myth and Reality in Present Scenario

This study tries to investigate how Ethiopian federalism functions, concentrating on the discrepancy between the system's aspirations and actualities. In order to accommodate its numerous ethnic groups, guara of Pntee regional autonomy, and foster equitable development, Ethiopia chose a federal structure in 1991. Federalism has, however, been poorly implemented due to a number of problems and inconsistencies. This paper will critically analyse the myth surrounding federalism in Ethiopia and examine the realities on the ground. It will draw on academic research, government reports, and expert opinions to provide a comprehensive analysis of the functioning of federalism in Ethiopia. DOWNLOADS

SCRUTINIZING THE POLICY AND PLANNING MODEL FOR ETHNIC ENCLAVE GAMBELLA CITY, ETHIOPIA

An urban and regional growth pattern is shaped by purposeful, cooperative governance initiatives in any country through planning. Various planning strategies have been underway in Ethiopia since its inception. However, these plans for Gambella City felt short, as the current city development plan is challenged by the concentration of residents from the same ethnic group settled in spatial space. Ethnic federalism in Ethiopia, with a lot of ambiguities, failed the urban planning strategy. The planning was unsuccessful in accommodating the influx of ethnic groups armed with an ethnic sense of identity and attitudes. Resistance to structural plan execution, ethnic conflicts, high environmental pollution, robbery, and theft in Gambella City are all revealed as the result of unsuitable residential settlement policies, regulations, and planning models in place. We explore the planning model in use since the establishment of Gambella enclave and develop a new one that fits the city. Purposive sampling was employed for selecting the Gambella Urban Development and Construction Bureau, the Mayor's Office, the Gambella Speaker House, the Gambella Municipality, Urban planning Institue; and experts in all these sectors.

The Four Faces of Ethiopian Federalism

The Four Faces of Ethiopian Federalism

Functional Domains of IGR Forums, House of Federation and Ministry of Peace in Ethiopia: The Need for Clarity

Intergovernmental relations have been attached with the House of Federation and the Ministry of Peace until the enactment of the new Intergovernmental relations (IGR) legislation. The new legislation establishes six major intergovernmental consultative forums. It states their areas of engagement and indicates the distinct roles of each institution. The newly established IGR forums can create cooperative and uncompetitive relations between the federal government and regional states thereby changing the contour of the Ethiopian IGR system. This article examines whether the enactment of the new IGR law overlaps with the power and functions of the House of Federation and Ministry of Peace which have been facilitating federal-state or interstate relations. I argue that there are power overlaps and fusion of responsibilities between the House of Federation, the Ministry of Peace, and the newly established IGR forums. In this regard, an attempt is made to draw a clear functional realm among these institutions in connection with their mandates in facilitating smooth federal-state or interstate relations, and also to maintain transparency and accountability within these institutions relative to roles and tasks. The delineation of their power and functions is important to further enhance the IGR system in the Ethiopian federation.

Interstate Media Wars: The Experience of the Ethiopian Federation

The present study interrogates the interstate media wars that erupted following the emergence of relational troubles among the parties of Ethiopia’s coalition: the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). Data from archives and interviews were used to understand the causes and characteristics of the media wars that were mostly fought out on television and other mass media. Findings show that the states used offensive and defensive strategies that included delegitimation, narrativisation and moralisation. Findings further indicate that the most open media war involved the Somali and Oromia states, which used Facebook as their major platform to express an open political hostility relating to their ethnoterritorial disputes in the earliest phases of the conflict. The present study highlights the potential dangers of inflammatory state media deployment in the context of fractured and fragile federations.

Ethiopia and the Running Sores of Ethnic Federalism: The Antithetical Forces of Statehood and Nationhood

Ethnic federalism in Ethiopia proved non-viable in practice because it came to be widely seen as a political tool used by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF)-dominated Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), whose ideological foundation was inspired by Soviet system of ‘democratic centralism’: a benign façade that veneered an authoritarian vanguard party operating under a token parliament. This article examines the dynamics of statehood and nationhood: antithetical forces of integration and differentiation, which play out around the commonly shared albeit highly contested polity of the nation-state. The need to dialectically resolve these antagonistic though mutualistic stakes lies at the epicentre of political debate in contemporary Ethiopia, ultimately pointing to the constitutional reform dilemmas it now faces. By drawing on literature on political theory, the article argues that the federal constitution proved antagonistic to the inherited politico-cultural orientations that posited the nation-state as the principal supranational identity. By redefining narrow forms of collective identity that were anchored precisely on ethnic sentiments that grew largely in reaction to perceived injustices, the federal constitution appeared neither to embrace, as a system of legitimation, the characteristic and authoritative dimensions of ‘Ethiopian’ identity as a supra-national universal habitus of loyalty and identification. Nor did it provide integrative cohesion to an otherwise essentially differentiated primordial ethnic and linguistic identity features that now came to be diffused and indeed accentuated at sub-national regions as rigid and hermetic sites of conflict and strife, rather than discursive, reflexive, and interactive domains of cultural and social life.

Assessing the Impacts of Ethnic Based Federalism in Ethiopia in Developing National Identity: The Case of Silte Zone

Following the incorporation of the unconditional right to ethnic self-determination in the FDRE Constitution, previously under oppressed ethnic groups can establish regional or zonal self-administered government. Despite its success, there are still challenges in the practical application of ethnic based federalism in Ethiopia. Within this framework, this study aims to assess the impacts of ethnic based federalism in developing national identity in Silte zone. The qualitative approach with descriptive survey study research design was employed. Interview, observation, document analysis, legal analysis, and literature were used to collect data. Thematic method of data analysis was employed. By purposive sampling out of 10 woredas and 5 town administration six woredas were selected, four institutions were selected, 48 civil servants for interview were selected, 2 federalism experts were selected as the source of data. According to the finding of the study even though ethnic based federalism results in many challenges in the process of nation building in Ethiopia it ensures partially socio- economic, political and cultural development in Silte zone. The finding of the study also indicates that beside its positive outcome ethnic based federalism results negative impacts on nation building such as decline in national identity, it erodes common values, symbols and our common identities, imbalance between ethnic identity and national identity (imbalance between components of self-rule and shared rule), it results in excessive sense of division, isolation, and frustration to have property to exogenous people in Ethiopia. In addition to these ethnic based federalism results in competition and conflicts between ethnic groups, specifically about “resources: land, water, minerals, and federal budgets and about power. To construct national identity and to mitigate drawbacks of ethnic based federalism in Silte zone the finding of the study revealed several mechanisms such as balancing self-rule(ethnic identity) and shared rule(national identity), conducting national identity plat forum (national discourse on how to construct national identity in multinational states), reforms in early schooling system and educational curriculum, legal requirement for collective rights of exogenous groups, power sharing through zoning of political and bureaucratic posts, building democratic federalism, special programs designed to bring young people together, and ideologies designed to raise consciousness about tolerance, unity, loyalty, discipline, and obedience and designing mega projects like renaissance dam to unite the people are also mechanism to balance ethnic identity and national identity in Ethiopia and in Silte zone in particular. Based on the conclusions, the following recommendations are made to resolve the negative impacts of ethnic based federalism in developing national identity in Silte, such as the Silte zonal government should balance promoting ethnic identity with national identity, and the Silte zonal government should conduct consistent national discourse or national plat forum on how to construct national identity, the Silte zonal government should build democratic federalism, there should be institutions to promote national identity parallel with ethnic identity at federal, at regional and at zonal level, there should be curriculum revision in a way to integrate common values, history and culture in education system especially at students earlier schooling age, as common working language is an instrument for nation building and constructing national identity emphasis should be given for the teaching of Amharic (it is the federal working language),the federal government should design mega projects like Renaissance dam to unify the people in Ethiopia, there should be: legal recognition for collective rights of exogenous groups, power sharing through zoning of political and bureaucratic posts, Special programs designed to bring young people together, and ideologies designed to raise consciousness about tolerance, unity, loyalty, discipline, and obedience. Keywords: ethnic federalism, national identity, federalism, ethnic identity DOI: 10.7176/IAGS/95-03 Publication date: June 30 th 2022