The advantages and disadvantages of federalism paanluel. Ethnic federalism and its discontents crisis group. Abstract in multiethnic country, respect of diversity and ethnic equality is a major tool for national integration. Ethnic federalism has been exploited to plant division among ethnic. Political accommodation and compromise are vital to defuse faithbased radicals opposition to what.
The largest is the russian federation 17m km 2, canada 9. Though this sociopolitical interaction between students who come from different part of ethiopia has its own advantages, it has also its own impediments. Many forms of federalism look to create checks and balances throughout society as a way to create an equal governing process. Federalism provides a structure that diffuses governmental power. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Advantages and disadvantages of federalism social sci. National anthem of ethiopia the national anthem of ethiopia, to be determined by law, shall reflect the ideals of the constitution, the commitment of the peoples of ethiopia to live together in a democratic order and of their common destiny. The process of decentralisation in ethiopia since 1991 7 southern ethiopian peoples democratic front sepdf, to a more cohesive political force in which the major regions are now governed by eprdfallied parties. Actors, power and mobiliza tion under ethnic federalism, is made up of a laconic preface, eight. Ethnic federalism and its discontents the ethiopian peoples revolutionary democratic front eprdf, led by its chairman and prime minister, meles zenawi, has radically reformed ethiopia s political system. This ensures that there are checks and balances, helping to prevent abuse of power. The fifth conference is a continuation of the dialogue on peace, democracy, unity and transition. But, as hurricane katrina and the bp oil spill illustrate, it is not perfect, nor is it well suited to the circumstances of most other nations. The smallest is st kitts and nevis 261 km 2 followed by micronesia 702 km some have very large populations.
Subnational governments at the subnational level, concerns about ethiopias dominantparty state are therefore replicated. Actors, power and mobilization under ethnic federalism, e. And it shows up in myriad ways which we often overlook. Federalism makes the state weak because there is always a conflict going on between the center and the federating units and as a result of this both the federal government and the federating units suffer.
Thus, the eprdf that assumed power in may 1991 after its protracted 17 year armed insurgency undertaken the reconstruction of the ethiopian state. Pdf weaknesses of ethnic federalism in ethiopia haymi. The 1994 constitution of ethiopia, for example, recognizes the. It is a deeply practical paper, in many ways a paper about the responsibilities and limits of state power. Their sovereignty shall be expressed through their representatives elected in accordance with this constitution and through their direct democratic participation article 9 supremacy of the constitution.
Ethiopias struggle with domestic religious radicalisation has shifted toward topdown intervention, a policy that has contained violence but is generating new risks. This constitution is an expression of their sovereignty. Pdf ethiopia adopted ethnic federalism and restructured the regions along ethnic. Again, the part which relates to the regional context of africa may help to conceive and understand. Weaknesses of ethnic federalism in ethiopia siraw megibaru temesgen abstract. Pdf ethnicbased federalism in ethiopia and its impact. Understanding federalism and its aspects in our lives european.
Constitution of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia. Variety of federations 25 countries and 40% of world population and 50% of surface of earth. It traces its origin to the kingdoms that emerged in the northern highlands in the fourth century. Some of the pros and cons of federalism will be given, with reasons as to why it is believed that the benefits of. The process of decentralisation in ethiopia since 1991. Federalism in ethiopia was introduced by the constitution based on the principles of self determination, shared rule and self of peoples of ethiopia. In almost all corners of the world, there are currently efforts that aim at redesigning structures of states in response to demands of communities for increased participation in the politicoeconomic realm. Ethiopias ethnic federalism is being tested the economist. It is actually the peoples who formed the federation as it says in the preamble we, the nations, nationalities and peoples of ethiopiahave therefore ratified, on 8 december 1994 this. History and ideology 57 selfadministration through regional autonomy. There is a huge imbalance and political centralism in practice.
The word federalism originally comes fromthe latin word foeder which means league or covenant. This creates a gap between constitutional provision and practice. One disadvantage of federalism is the amount of money spent on campaigning. What is the advantages of federalism in ethiopia answers. Ethnic federalism has been exploited to plant division among ethnic groups so as to institutionalize and facilitate rule by the tplf and other politically affiliated groups, representing a small proportion of the population. Related terms are multiethnic federalism and ethnofederalism this type of federation is identified above all with the governance of meles zenawi from the 1990s in ethiopia, where it has sometimes been known as zenawism. There are several pros and cons of federalism to consider when looking at it as a political system. Ethiopia adopted ethnic federalism and restructured the regions along ethnic lines as soon as the eprdf took political power by overthrowing the marxist military government in 1991. However, these pledges were not translated into practice. To do this, strong good governance and democratic institutions are very important. When it comes to the system of federalism that we practice in the united states, there are many advantages as well as disadvantages. The tplfled government that replaced the dergue has redrawn the political map of the country and adopted ethnic based federal structure of government. The disadvantages are that it can set off a race to the bottom among states, cause crossstate economic and social disparities, and obstruct federal efforts. Aregawi berhe introduction ethnic federalism is certainly a new system of governance in ethiopia, where a unitary structure was the.
Several positive and negative attributes of federalism have manifested themselves in the u. Ethiopia has developed interesting mechanism of subsidy transfer systems and formulas revised formulas in 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2009. One major advantage of federalism is the ability for the people to be involved in their governments actions. Federalism the ethiopian way federalism was introduced in ethiopia in 1991 when the ethiopian peoples revolutionary democratic front eprdf came to power and launched the idea of selfdetermination for the nationalities, up to and including secession, devolving political, administrative and economic power to ethnically defined. In the contemporary world, state restructuring has become a global phenomenon. To understand this, one needs to go back in time to gain an overview of these issues.
Its cultures, diversity and religions form a microcosm of africa. Ethiopia is also the major contributor more than 86 per cent of the abay nile river, upon which life in egypt and the sudan mainly depends. The special advantage of the ethiopian federalism what is more unique to the ethiopian federalism is that the phrasearticle 39 right to selfdetermination up to secession, serves as a brake on any form of attempts of a unitarist regime towards the tyrannical and discriminatory treatment of nationalities. Background, present conditions and future prospects by alem habtu department of sociology queens collegecuny flushing, ny 167 phone. Addis ababa office for print as wells as any electronic form of publication, including. Consistent with its mission, vision ethiopia creates unhindered forums for scholars, professionals and concerned ethiopians. As a protection against tyranny one of the most important points of federalism in dividing the power between the national government and state governments, and spreading the national governments power among three branches that serve as a check and balance on each other, is that it serves as a deterrent to tyranny and runaway power. Weaknesses of ethnic federalism in ethiopia ijhssi. The section that relates to the prefederal experience of the country may assist in comprehending the historical context in which the discourse on federalism has emerged in this country. Ethiopian ethnic federalism and its implications for. Another issue is the link between the link between revenue and state creation and revenue and secession.
Ethiopia boasts a landscape of extraordinary beauty and varied climatic conditions. The case of ethnicbased federalism in ethiopia journal of. An economic analysis of fiscal federalism in ethiopia. The case of ethnicbased federalism in ethiopia article pdf available october 2008 with 20,804 reads how we measure reads. Ethnic federalism is a federal system of national government in which the federated units are defined according to ethnicity. The developmental state and federalism in ethiopia. It has been governed by several emperors until the overthrow of. The imperial period 1974 ethiopia is the only african state never colonised by a foreign power. Sc speaker, house of federations federal democratic republic of ethiopia.
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