Ethiopia A Democratic Developmental State- (original) (raw)
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Ethiopia: From Revolutionary Democracy to Prosperity Habtamu Girma Demiessie
2021
This piece is a summary description of a forthcoming book titled 'Ethiopia: From Revolutionary Democracy to Prosperity. The book documents on the essential constructs of Ethiopian society in the period between 1991-2020. The focal point of narratives is to understand the dynamics in political, macroeconomic, socioeconomic, diplomatic, demographic elements in Ethiopia from local and global perspectives. The book would be an important document to those who are interested to have a comprehensive account on Ethiopia in the last three decades in particular
Respublica Litereria, 2018
The Executive Committee has found that their shortcomings in providing strategic leadership at the time are widely felt. It has been held that the senior leadership has lacked the ability to manage effectively the complex national platform because its ability to identify, analyse, and resolve accordingly. On this basis, it apologises to all citizens of our nation and members of our organisation for not only maintaining the momentum of our nation's hard-fought victories, but also taking full responsibility for the damage caused by our organisation to our country. West. With the rise of populism and hate politics in relation to immigration, religion and colour. Three types of threat to democracy: coups, catastrophes and technological takeovers. While coups will become less common, other forms of "coups" will constrain elected governments even while they remain formally in power. Further, looming threats to civilisation, (environmental crises and nuclear warfare) could make democracy seem like an unaffordable luxury. Social media we have become dependent on is an arena that we neither control nor fully understand. Nevertheless, while influential voices contend that democracy is in decline worldwide, the global proportion of democracies is actually at or near an all-time high. Republican democracy is the active participation of politically conscious citizens with the requisite understanding of the meaning of democracy, as citizens of a political society in a polity endowed with political rules and institutions. It is a system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections and one that protects the human rights of all citizens and a rule of law, in which the laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens. Democracy creates losers as well as winners. When the losers are powerful enough to undermine democracy, this is why the fate of many democracies has been precarious. Today, while PM Abiy inherits a spectacular economic and infrastructure growth, hundreds of thousands graduating yearly from hundreds of vocational schools, universities, a ten-years increase in life expectancy in a decade and meeting the MDGs. Nevertheless, because of the frustrated populace he has now emerged to transform the security situation, which predicated a martial law to silence it, after his historic speech focused on Ethiopianness and the need to act together as citizens of a single political society. The remaining agenda is to fix the economic and social governance and the livelihood of Ethiopia's youth. I see unquestionable genuineness in PM Abiy's moves to widen the political space and to make his ruling party a competitive political organ that can win the spoils of power using political participation and political competition. The party has declared it will widen the political space but whatever his party chooses as a strategy remains to be seen. Abiy has given another life to a party that had transformed the economic infrastructure and education of the youth of Ethiopia; but had at the same time, lost the confidence of the same youth it had meticulously enlightened to question its governance strategies.
Ethiopia at Cross Road? A Brief Look into the Revolutionary Democratic Rule (1991-Present
Understanding the concept of revolutionary democracy amounts to understanding the political economy of Ethiopia in the past quarter of a century since 1991. The ideological line pursued by Ethiopian People‟s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), a political party that has been ruling Ethiopia since 1991, is a mix of Marxist-Leninist-Maoist communist ideology with the liberal ideas of free market & institutions, election and multi-party democracy. As revolutionary democracy is a new concept in the ontology of Ethiopian politics, it is largely bereft of clarity even to the high ranking officials of EPRDF (Habtamu, 2012; Nolawi, 2013). The ideals of revolutionary democracy embodied some unique elements not just as a party political program, but also for academic purposes too. For one, the concept has interesting political and economic philosophies that can contribute a lot to the academia. It also enables to depict the overall picture of the practice of political and bureaucratic governance, particularly, in the past 25 years. Having such importance, however, the concept has been largely misconstrued in the theoretical and/or empirical literature. Scanty academic responses on revolutionary democracy also amounts denial of its prospect to evolve as an economic and/or political thought. This paper is an attempt to depict the political economy of Ethiopia since the onset of revolutionary democratic rule in the year 1991.
REVOLUTIONARY DEMOCRACY IN ETHIOPIA Origin, Evolution and Development
SAGE Advanced, 2019
ABOUT THE PAPER This paper is an extract from my book entitled: The Cruces of Post 1991 Ethiopian Politics: Revolutionary Democracy, Democratic Developmentlaism and the Late Meles Zenawi. The book is first pulished in December 2017, and republished in Septmeber 2018. The book gives a comprehensive account on the rules of the game in the system of governance of politics, economy, bureaucracy and Securityin Ethiopia since 1991. This article \is organized into two parts. In the first part, the underlying factors triggering for the genesis and development of revolutionary democratic concept is discussed. The first section further addresses competing views on the lines of revolutionary democracy Moreover, the status of revolutionary democracy is subjected to question, as a single party program or as a full fledge concept that comprehensively addresses on all aspects of governance. The second part discusses on the evolution, development and/or consolidation of ideals of revolutionary thought in Ethiopia. In this regard, the theory and practices of revolutionary democracy is framed. The late Meles Zenawi having been ideologue of Ethiopian Revolutionary Democratic Party (EPRDF), a party that has been ruling Ethiopia since 1991, the political and leadership personalities of the leader is analyzed.
The Politics of Developmental State in Ethiopia, Published on PAJGD
Reexamining the Politics of “Developmental State” in Ethiopia: Was/Is Ethiopia a Developmental State in EPRDF Regime? A Study From 1991-2018, 2022
The core theme of the article is focused on reexamining the "developmental state" politics in Ethiopia. Conceptually, a developmental state is a state which follows the development approach of a state-led economy. It is characterized by the existence of development oriented-political leadership, autonomous bureaucracy, production-oriented private sector, and performanceoriented governance. Based on this notion, the study aims to prove whether Ethiopia (from 1991-2018) is a developmental state or not in the Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) regime by employing a qualitative research approach with secondary sources of data. Hence, EPRDF's economic-political realities are examined using theoretical frameworks and features of the developmental state. Accordingly, the study has found, first, that the rhetoric of creating efficient development-oriented political leadership in Ethiopia is aborted due to the prevalence of the economic-political culture of corruption, organized theft, and rent-seeking. Secondly, the EPRDF regime has failed to build autonomous and efficient bureaucracy. Thirdly, the private sector had forced so as not to be productive, competitive, and strong. Fourthly, through achieving high economic growth and reducing the level of poverty, the regime has relatively succeeded in performance-oriented governance even though debt crisis, high level of unemployment, and huge income disparity, the concentration of national resources prevailed amidst the poor level of industrialization. Thus, empirically, EPRDF's Ethiopia in the study's time frame has exceedingly remained as a predatory state and marginally continued as a developmental state. Accordingly, the study recommends succeeding regimes that strive to achieve sustainable economic development to take lessons from the failure of EPRDF in functioning development-oriented political leadership, production-oriented private sector, and meritocratic bureaucracy, plus realizing performance-oriented governance.
Ethiopia: One Revolution Short of Utopia?
The FDRE Constitution which establishes a parliamentary democracy at the federal level and sets out an extensive list of fundamental rights is considered by many as a legal document that ushers in, at least formally, liberal democracy in Ethiopia. Many would agree with the assertion in the call for papers that, “[the FDRE Constitution] promised a radical break with the ills of the past and grounded the foundation of the new state in the liberal ideas of human rights and democracy.” However, the extent to which the FDRE Constitution is steeped in the illiberal political culture of the Ethiopian state as well as the illiberal traditions and ethos of the EPRDF is something worth reflecting upon. Both during the deliberations on the draft constitution as well as its subsequent implementation, most of the relevant actors did/do not seem very much concerned about the need to limit governmental power and to put restrictions on the limitations the state could legitimately impose on individual rights. A careful consideration of some aspects/provisions of the Constitution particularly, the distinction between “human” and “democratic” rights and the system of constitutional interpretation/enforcement adopted in the Constitution reveal the illiberal bent of the FDRE Constitution. These facts justify questioning the liberal credentials of the FDRE Constitution. While the 1974 Revolution had tackled entrenched economic privileges that were grossly unjust and the FDRE Constitution of 1994 has addressed various forms of ethno-linguistic injustice, it seems that we have yet to witness the revolution that will tame the leviathan and establish the individual’s autonomy from the state.
Challenges and Prospects of Democratization Process in Ethiopia
In 1995 the FDRE constitution institutionalized multi-party democracy and since then Ethiopia held five consecutive national elections which tested the journey of Ethiopian democratization process. The central objective of this paper is to explore democratization process in Ethiopia by focusing on the challenges and prospects of post 1991 situations. To this end qualitative methodology was employed to gather data from secondary sources. For this purpose journal Articles, official documents, constitution and other legal documents and policies were used. Based upon the data the study revealed that the post 1991 FDRE Constitution espouse new democracy friendly laws and orders which contain detail lists of human rights, introduction of multi-party politics and commencement of democratic institutions which are amicable development for democratization process in the country. However, there are problems in implementing these opportunities on the grounds. Among others, the 2005 election aftermath political and legal measures (CSO Law, Press Law and Anti-Terrorism Law), authoritative nature of Ethiopian politics, weakness of actors in democratization process, Political polarization among political parties, weakness of democratic institutions and corruption are the major challenges to the realization of democratization process in Ethiopia. Hence, the study implies the need for reforming the 2005 election aftermath politico-legal measures on the one hand and strengthens actors in democratization process and democratic institutions on the other hand.
Post 2018 political reforms in Ethiopia: Its achievements and challenges
Agathos:An International Review of social science and Humanities, 2020
This desk study was employed secondary data which are gathered from various literatures to assess the achievements and challenges of post 2018 political reforms in Ethiopia. The development of Ethiopia political trajectory is entangled with numerous paradoxes that raising both challenging and interesting questions. After the down full of the military junta ,the current ruling party i.e. EPRDF take the power and come up with different legal and political reform such as adoption of progressive constitution, recognition of multi-party system and federal state structures to end the long lasting civil war in Ethiopia. However, through time the EPRDF party also become dictator like its predecessors, the ruling party also extensively engage in high political stifling, blocking of internet and website, arbitrarily detention of the country calibers such as figure of political leaders, bloggers, journalists and activists that works on human and democratic rights and dumping of Diaspora media which are an artery of voiceless peoples of Ethiopia and uneven factor mobility. These measures triggered the public to stand against it. The massive public protest coupled with bloodshed of civilians shocked the party and forced to look inside so as to rescue the country from disintegration. As the result of deep reform held within the party, Abiy Ahimed becomes the chairman of the party and by default the prime minster of the country. After he come into power, unexpected remarkable achievements have been recorded in fostering regional peace, widen political landscape and liberalize the key economic sectors. However, the reform of Abiy is not unchallenged rather there are various challenges that impede the speed of reform. Hence, the authors are intended to as the achievements and challenges of post 2018 political reform in Ethiopian and forward the possibly solution to overcome the challenges.