Abstract:
The study dealt with practices and prospects of public participation in local economic development a case of three selected woredas in yeka sub city, Addis Ababa city administration. The objective of the study is to assess the participation of community‟s in local economic development and the outcome. The issues observed to achieve the objective were areas of community participation, institutionalization of participatory practices, substantive coordination of the actors and outcomes of these processes and activities in the selected Woredas of yeka Sub-city. Mixed approach (both Qualitative and Quantitative approach) is used. Semi-structured questionnaire is prepared. In-depth interview, focus group discussion and observation tools were developed and employed to elicit important information from the community and triangulate with secondary and questionnaire data. In general the observations of data results from various sources, the development activities are not sustainable in the sense also that the process didn‟t create sizeable employment to the local community. The participatory local economic development work has not been linked to small and micro enterprises. Therefore, the study concluded with the recommendation that the participatory local economic development work should maintain link between the community, the SMEs and other actors in order to engage in sustainable processes and activities of local economic development in the Sub City selected for this study.
