Center for Federalism Studies

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Browsing Center for Federalism Studies by Author "Assefa Fisseha"

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    Policy Making in Ethiopia: Does Federalism Matter?
    (Addis Ababa University, 2016-10) Senait Sisay; Assefa Fisseha
    In federations powers of government are divided between the center and the constituent units. One of the areas of government where both tiers of government have keen interest is in areas of socio-economic policy-making for it serves as a tool for constructing national identity. Here in Ethiopia policy-making power in socio-economic areas are divided between the two levels of government under the constitution. Owing to the nature of power division on the constitution and also the federal practice, there is increasing tendency of centralization of the area by the federal government. This study ventured to see if federal principles mattered in the making of federal and regional policies as well as planes in the above mentioned socio-economic areas. In federations ensuring the participation of the constituent units in socio-economic decisions seems to take two phases; participation at the central decision-making organs on shared concerns and secondly autonomy in exercising powers allocated to them in the area. In Ethiopia the institutional mechanisms’ of ensuring participation of the regional units in federal policy-making are weak weighted against the requirements set in literatures on federalism as well as experiences of other existing federations. This seems to be one of the major loopholes of the Ethiopian federation as it negates the very purpose of rearranging the nation as federal. The actual practice of the policy process has also, owing to the workings of the various para constitutional variables discussed in the paper, resulted in an overtly centralized policy-process. In relation to this it is observed that the relative strengths or weaknesses of the organization /composition/ and powers of the legislature in the context of federalism seem to have a ripple effect on the overall health of a federal nation. The inefficient power and limited representation the sub units posses in the federal legislature results in center’s dominance in all aspects of relations between centre and states including the sectoral policy making. The opposite also holds true, i.e., the efficient and full scale power and representation of the states in the federal legislature amounts to a relatively balanced and decentralized federal governance and policy process.
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    The Politics of Local Government Creation and Boundary Demarcation within Ethiopian Federation: Challenges and Implications
    (Addis Ababa University, 2017-05) Ayenew Birhanu; Assefa Fisseha
    Few issues are as central to contemporary local government systems as their number and boundaries. The central aim of this dissertation is to cast light on trends and implications related to the number and boundaries of local governments in post-federal Ethiopia with special emphasis to two Regional States-Oromia and Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's Region (SNNPR). This study depicts that, since the inception of the federal system in the 1990s, the figures of local governments have experienced a conspicuous sequence of ruptures and shifts. The most obvious are changes at the woreda level, while, at the other levels of local governments, a similar tendency is seen in a slightly different form. Although kebeles have relatively been more expanded in Ethiopia since the early 1990s, this study focuses on woredas - the next higher and more expanded level of local government. The study attempts to respond to the following questions: Does the legal framework provide for criteria and procedures for local government creation and boundary demarcation?; Are there mechanisms for popular participation at the local level?; What are challenges and implications of local government creation and boundary demarcation? Methodologically, this study employed a descriptive design and qualitative research approach and analysis. Both primary and secondary sources of data are used in this study. Key informant interview and document analysis are the main methods employed for data collection. Findings reveal that the fundamental decision in federal matters - the creation of local government - has been reserved for the Regional States. The FDRE Constitution has no express constitutional recognition of local governments, nor does it contain any specific procedures that govern the creation of local governments and demarcation of boundaries. This study, therefore, contends that the creation of local governments, their upgrading and change of boundaries are determined on ad hoc basis, and no comprehensible criteria have been laid down for the purpose. There also appears uncertainty on how local communities participate in the demarcation of local government boundaries, as the process is not regulated by law in detail.