The Impact of Decentralization on Efficiency and Meritocracy of the Civil Service in Ethiopia: The Case of Oromia and Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regions
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Date
2000-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The concept oj Civil Service has various dimensions. One oj its dimensions relates it to the
system oj personnel administrations that are applied to the government employees. Th e second
Jocuses on the government Junctions by the people who occupy job positions that are neither
political, juridical nor militwy. The third is related to employees oj government ministries and
agencies.
Civil Service also takes different Jorms and structures in different systems oj governance. In a
decentralized system, it is related to a larger extent, to the responsibilities oj the decentralized
units. There are numerous benefits oj the Civil Service in decentralization. It is reported that in
decentraliza tion , Civil Service is capable oj providing efficient and relevant public services to
the local conditions.
III Ethiopia, even though th ere were some attempts oj decentralization through regionalization
oj the country, where some regions were considered as autonomous, it was only afier 1991 that
decentralization was taken as a major political measure. In 1991, when the EPRDF took over
political power, one oj the first political measures taken was the regionalization oj the country
along ethnic lines. The ethnic based regions established thus have been enjoying autonomous
status with respect to government activities that fall under their authority. The Civil Service,
hence, is one oj the responsibilities oj the regions. The usual tradition, where the central
ministries and agencies control and supervise the regional Civil Service activities has been no
longer the practice.This system has its own impact upon the efficiency and meritocracy of the Civil Service of the
regions. Accordingly, it is found that the efficiency of the regional Civil Service is undermined
after the ethnic based decentralization has been undertaken in the countly . This is due to the
fact that the organization structure of some bureaus and offices does not help to achieving
efficiency. There are bureaus and offices in the regions that are established with little tasks to
peltorm and there are also other bureaus and ofJices of which the tasks are similar with others
but unnecessarily established as separate entities. Moreover, some bureaus and offices are
operating in costly and delayed implementation of Civil Service administration.
In addition, the merit aspect of the regional Civil Service is at risk because of the ethnic based
decentralization. This is due to the prevalence of ethnic and language issues and the
interference of political considerations in the operations of the Civil Service at the Regional
levels.
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Keywords
Impact of Decentralization on Efficiency