Decentralization in Ethiopia
Decentralization in Ethiopia

Author: Taye Assefa

Publisher: African Books Collective

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 175

ISBN-13: 9994450115

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The 1991 government change in Ethiopia ushered in a centralised system of governance, aimed to bring about harmony and cooperation between different groups and to promote local self-rule. It has proceeded in two phases: 1991-2001 centred on creating and powering National/Regional Governments, termed mid-level decentralisation. Further powers were devolved in 2001 through the District Level Decentralization Program and Urban Management Profram. This volume brings together studies by the Forum for Social Studies and others, with the aim of identifying knowledge gaps for further research and to generate debate on the issues in Ethiopia. The study is in two parts: a literature review seeking to document existing studies and highlight research gaps; and field work which involved a rapid assessment of eight weredas and two kifle ketemas in Addis Ababa. The other three studies are synopses of master theses submitted to the Institute of Regional and Local Development Studies of Addis Ababa University.

Improving Basic Services for the Bottom Forty Percent
Improving Basic Services for the Bottom Forty Percent

Author: Qaiser M Khan

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2014-09-18

Total Pages: 139

ISBN-13: 1464803315

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Ethiopia’s model for delivering basic services appears to be succeeding and to confirm that services improve when service providers are more accountable to citizens. The approach chosen in Ethiopia is pro-poor with the bottom 40 percent benefiting relatively more. The approach is also reducing other disparities including gender and historic.

Manipulating Political Decentralisation
Manipulating Political Decentralisation

Author: Lovise Aalen

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-10-12

Total Pages: 182

ISBN-13: 1315472392

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Can autocrats establish representative subnational governments? And which strategies of manipulation are available if they would like to reduce the uncertainty caused by introducing political decentralisation? In the wake of local government reforms, several states across the world have introduced legislation that provides for subnational elections. This does not mean that representative subnational governments in these countries are all of a certain standard. Political decentralisation should not be confused with democratisation, as the process is likely to be manipulated in ways that do not produce meaningful avenues for political participation and contestation locally. Using examples from Africa, Lovise Aalen and Ragnhild L. Muriaas propose five requirements for representative subnational governments and four strategies that national governments might use to manipulate the outcome of political decentralisation. The case studies of Ethiopia, Malawi, South Africa, and Uganda illustrate why autocrats sometimes are more open to competition at the subnational level than democrats. Manipulating Political Decentralisation provides a new conceptual tool to assess representative subnational governments' quality, aiding us in building theories on the consequences of political decentralisation on democratisation.

Decentralization, Democracy, and Development in Africa
Decentralization, Democracy, and Development in Africa

Author: Jan Erk

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-12-07

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 1351259504

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Decentralization reforms introduced to Africa in the 1990s have not always delivered the intended long-term outcomes. This is a collection on the consequences of these reforms two decades on. In addition to general and comparative overviews, the book contains case studies on Ghana, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Ethiopia, and Uganda. The common theme across the chapters is that the reforms seem to have engendered political consequences beyond decentralization itself – mostly through interaction with the broader historical, political, social, and economic context. The book thus speaks both to the scholarly literature (on decentralization, democratization, and development) and to the community of development practitioners. Most of the literature on decentralization and development emphasizes questions of institutional design and policy, but here the harder-to-pin-down political patterns marking the workings of decentralization are the main focus of analysis. The debates on development, through the case studies, are connected to the scholarly literatures on comparative federalism, comparative decentralization, and local democracy. The main conclusion that emerges from the studies in the book is that no magic formula that can turn countries into peaceful, stable, and prosperous democracies overnight exists. Furthermore, there are risks involved in importing formal institutions without regard to the local historical, political, social, and economic context. The chapters of this book were originally published as a special issue in Regional and Federal Studies.

Ethiopia
Ethiopia

Author: Bahru Zewde

Publisher: Nordic Africa Institute

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 9789171065018

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Democracy is a concept reflecting European philosophies, struggles and concerns. Many Ethiopian ethnic groups have traditions which may offer more satisfactory and culturally acceptable foundations for a “sovereignty of the people” through time-honored ways of voicing political ideas, ironic observations and vital interests. In line with modern urban life Ethiopians also organize and express their interests in non-governmental organizations, the independent press and advocacy groups representing political and social alternatives. The contributors to this book analyze the democratic potential of these movements and practices, their ability to give a voice to the view from below and their potential contribution to a more genuine participation by the majority of Ethiopians in democratic decision making and bringing the sovereignty of the people a step closer to reality.

Decentralization and Popular Democracy
Decentralization and Popular Democracy

Author: Jean-Paul Faguet

Publisher: University of Michigan Press

Published: 2012-06-04

Total Pages: 373

ISBN-13: 0472118196

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Faguet identifies the factors that determine the outcomes of national decentralization on the local level

Federalism and Decentralization in Sub-Saharan Africa
Federalism and Decentralization in Sub-Saharan Africa

Author: Jan Erk

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-12-07

Total Pages: 188

ISBN-13: 1351718819

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The 1990s were marked by democratic reforms throughout Africa, which went in tandem with decentralization reforms. The chapters of the volume all highlight the gradual changes that have taken place since. Long-term structural uncodified factors – be it societal, economic, geographic, demographic – seem to have interacted with the constitutional clauses introduced during the reforms. Some chapters look at how decentralization slowly gave way to recentralization because none of the new subnational entities were politically and economically strong enough to balance off the center; some look at how inherent deficiencies in infrastructure and personnel at the subnational level brought the central government back in; some look at how different subnational units ended up working differently due to differences in demographic and social factors; some look at how uncodified factors came to determine how national politics functioned; some look at how decentralization created new conflicts between ethnic groups competing for the control of the new entities; some look at how decentralization blew new life into traditional authorities. This book was original published as a special issue of Regional and Federal Studies.

Local Politics in Jordan and Morocco
Local Politics in Jordan and Morocco

Author: Janine A. Clark

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2018-04-03

Total Pages: 402

ISBN-13: 0231545010

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In recent years, authoritarian states in the Middle East and North Africa have faced increasing international pressure to decentralize political power. Decentralization is presented as a panacea that will foster good governance and civil society, helping citizens procure basic services and fight corruption. Two of these states, Jordan and Morocco, are monarchies with elected parliaments and recent experiences of liberalization. Morocco began devolving certain responsibilities to municipal councils decades ago, while Jordan has consistently followed a path of greater centralization. Their experiences test such assumptions about the benefits of localism. Janine A. Clark examines why Morocco decentralized while Jordan did not and evaluates the impact of their divergent paths, ultimately explaining how authoritarian regimes can use decentralization reforms to consolidate power. Local Politics in Jordan and Morocco argues that decentralization is a tactic authoritarian regimes employ based on their coalition strategies to expand their base of support and strengthen patron-client ties. Clark analyzes the opportunities that decentralization presents to local actors to pursue their interests and lays out how municipal-level figures find ways to use reforms to their advantage. In Morocco, decentralization has resulted not in greater political inclusivity or improved services, but rather in the entrenchment of pro-regime elites in power. The main Islamist political party has also taken advantage of these reforms. In Jordan, decentralization would undermine the networks that benefit elites and their supporters. Based on extensive fieldwork, Local Politics in Jordan and Morocco is an important contribution to Middle East studies and political science that challenges our understanding of authoritarian regimes’ survival strategies and resilience.

Decentralization in Africa
Decentralization in Africa

Author: James Tyler Dickovick

Publisher: Lynne Rienner Pub

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 317

ISBN-13: 9781626370531

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In recent decades laws passed by African governments to transfer power and resources to local and other subnational governments (SNGs) have been greeted by many in the policy community with enthusiasm. But how far has decentralization really gone in Africa? How well does it work? And what have been its consequences? The authors of Decentralization in Africa work within a common conceptual framework to examine the process in 10 countries contrasting clear increases in the legal authority of SNGs with the reality of limited successes in deepening democracy.

Ethnic Federalism
Ethnic Federalism

Author: David Turton

Publisher: Ohio University Press

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780821416976

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Presents an examination of trends in ethnic federalism around the world with case studies from Nigeria and India. This book offers an analysis of Ethiopia's ten-year experiment with ethnic federalism, and asks why the use of territorial decentralization to accommodate ethnic differences has been unpopular in Africa, as compared to the West.