Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T01:24:34.588Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Clientelism and Ethiopia's post-1991 decentralisation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 July 2007

Paulos Chanie
Paulos Chanie*
Affiliation:
Institute of Social Studies, PO Box 29776, 2502 LT The Hague, Netherlands
*
Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This article addresses the question of why Ethiopia's post-1991 decentralisation reform is not taking the desired direction of matching diverse needs with available resources and creating accountable, responsive and autonomous regional governments. Given regional governments' relatively diverse socio-economic positions, the intention of the reform to create autonomous regions with devolved administrative, fiscal and political power is appropriate. Nonetheless, the implementation of the elements of the reform – expenditure assignment, revenue assignment, intergovernmental fiscal transfer and sub-national borrowing – is flawed. Existing studies that question the effectiveness of Ethiopia's devolution focus on political or fiscal aspects, and fail to link the de facto centre-region political power relationship with intergovernmental fiscal relations. This article, based on detailed field research in three regional governments, argues that the flawed intergovernmental fiscal relations reform is best explained by the clientelistic relationship between central and regional political parties.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Modern African Studies , Volume 45 , Issue 3 , September 2007 , pp. 355 - 384
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Aalen, L. 2002a. ‘Ethnic federalism in a dominant party state: the Ethiopian experience 1991–2000’, Bergen, Norway: Chr. Michelsen Institute Report R 2002:2.Google Scholar
Aalen, L. 2002b. ‘Expressions of control, fear and devotion: the election in Mekelle and Wukro, Tigray region’, in , Pausewang et al. Ethiopia since the Derg, 83–99.Google Scholar
Aalen, L. 2006. ‘Ethnic federalism and self-determination for nationalities in a semi-authoritarian state: the case of Ethiopia’, International Journal on Minority and Group Rights 13: 243–61.Google Scholar
Abbink, J. 2006. ‘Discomfiture of democracy? The 2005 election crisis in Ethiopia and its aftermath’, African Affairs 105, 419: 173–99.Google Scholar
African Development Bank (ADB). 2001. Benshangul-Gumuz National Regional State Public Expenditure Review (Draft Report). Addis Ababa: ADB.Google Scholar
Alem, Habtu. 2003. ‘Ethnic federalism in Ethiopia: background, present conditions and future conditions’, paper submitted to the Second EAF International Symposium on Contemporary Development Issues in Ethiopia, 11–12 July, Addis Ababa. <http://homepages.wmich.edu/~asefa/Conference%20and%20Seminar/Papers/2003%20papers/Habtu,%20Alem.pdf>(viewed January 2007)(viewed+January+2007)>Google Scholar
Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM). 2001. Party Programme and Memorandum of Association Approved by ANDM 5th Party Congress September 2001 (in Amharic). Addis Ababa : ANDM.Google Scholar
Anonymous. 2003. From Bullet to the Bank Account: report on the economic empire of Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). Addis Ababa. (5th update)Google Scholar
Assefa, Fiseha. 2006. ‘Theory versus practice in the implementation of Ethiopia's ethnic federalism’, in Turton, , Ethnic Federalism, 131–64.Google Scholar
Bogalle, Assefa. 2004. The Big Scandal: TPLF business empire. Addis Ababa: Commercial Printing Press (in Amharic).Google Scholar
Brueckner, J. K. 2000. ‘Fiscal decentralization in developing countries: the effects of local corruption and tax evasion’, Annals of Economic and Finance 1: 1–18.Google Scholar
Clapham, C. 1985. Third World Politics: an introduction. London: Croom Helm.Google Scholar
Clapham, C. 1995. ‘Ethiopia and Eritrea: the politics of post-insurgency’, in Wiseman, J. A. ed. Democracy and Political Change in Sub-Saharan Africa. London: Routledge, 116–36.Google Scholar
Derege, Feyissa. 2006. ‘The experience of Gambella regional state’, in Turton, , Ethnic Federalism, 208–30.Google Scholar
Eshetu, Chole. 1994. ‘Issues of vertical imbalance in Ethiopia's emerging system of fiscal decentralization’, in Eshetu, Chole ed. Fiscal Decentralization in Ethiopia. Addis Ababa: Addis Ababa University Press, 168–90.Google Scholar
Ethiopian Economic Association (EEA). 2000/1. Annual Report on the Ethiopian Economy, vol. 2. Addis Ababa: EEA.Google Scholar
Ethiopian People Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). 2001. ‘Party program approved by the 4th Party conference September 2001’. Addis Ababa: EPRDF (in Amharic).Google Scholar
European Union (EU). 2001. Tigray National Regional State Public Expenditure Review (draft report). Macronet Rapport 14. Brussels: EU.Google Scholar
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE). 1995. The Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Addis Ababa.Google Scholar
Helmsing, A. H. G. 2005. ‘Governance of local economic development in sub-Saharan Africa: who are the dancers and do they act “in concert”?’ The Hague: ISS, Working Paper Series No. 408.Google Scholar
Lemarchand, R. 1972. ‘Political clientelism and ethnicity in Tropical Africa: competing solidarities in nation building’, American Political Science Review 66: 68–90.Google Scholar
Litvack, J., Ahmed, J. & Bird, R.. 1998. Rethinking decentralization in developing countries. Washington, DC: World Bank.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCann, J. M. 2002. ‘Prospects for democracy, agro-ecology and civil society’, in Pausewang, et al. , Ethiopia since the Derg, 63–82.Google Scholar
McLure, C. E. 1995. ‘Comment on “The dangers of decentralization” by Prud'homme’, World Bank Research Observer, 10, 2: 221–6.Google Scholar
Merera, Gudina. 2006. ‘Contradictory interpretations of Ethiopian history: the need for a new consensus’, in Turton, , Ethnic Federalism, 119–30.Google Scholar
Ministry of Economic Development & Cooperation (MEDaC), Government of Ethiopia. 2000. The Federal Budget Grant Formula in Ethiopia. Addis Ababa: MEDaC.Google Scholar
Musgrave, R. A. & Musgrave, P. B.. 1989. Public Finance in Theory and Practice. New York: McGraw-Hill (5th edition).Google Scholar
Oates, W. 1972. Fiscal Federalism. London: Gregg-Revivals.Google Scholar
Olowu, D. & Wunsch, J. S.. 2004. Local Governance in Africa: the challenges of democratic decentralization. London: Lynne Rienner.Google Scholar
Ordeshook, P. C. & Shvetsova, O.. 1997. ‘Federalism and constitutional design’, Journal of Democracy 8, 1:27–42.Google Scholar
Pausewang, S., Tronvoll, K. & Aalen, L. eds. 2002. Ethiopia since the Derg: a decade of democratic pretension and performance. London: Zed Books.Google Scholar
Pausewang, S., Tronvoll, K. & Aalen, L.. 2002. ‘Democratization in Ethiopia: some notes on theory and methodology’, in Pausewang, et al. . Ethiopia since the Derg, 1–25.Google Scholar
Peaceful, and Democratic Transitional Conference of Ethiopia. 1991. ‘Transitional Period Charter of Ethiopia’, Negarit Gazeta No. 1. Addis Ababa.Google Scholar
Prud'homme, R. 1995. ‘The dangers of decentralization’, World Bank Observer 10, 2: 201–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Riker, W. H. 1964. Federalism: origin, operation, significance. Boston, MA: Little, Brown & Co.Google Scholar
Scott, J. C. 1972. ‘Patron-client politics and political change in Southeast Asia’, The American Political Science Review 66: 91–113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, B. C. 2003. Understanding Third World Politics: theories of political change and development. London: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Smoke, P. J. 1994. Local Government Fiscal Reform in Developing Countries: the case of Kenya. Nairobi: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Smoke, P. J. 2003. ‘Decentralization in Africa: goals, dimensions, myths and challenges’, Public Administration and Development 23, 1: 7–16.Google Scholar
Tanzi, V. 2001. ‘Pitfalls on the road to fiscal decentralization’, Washington, DC.: Carnegie Endowment Working Paper 19.Google Scholar
Tiebout, C. 1956. ‘A pure theory of local expenditures’, Journal of Political Economy 64: 416–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turton, D. ed. 2006. Ethnic Federalism: the Ethiopian experience in comparative perspective. Oxford: James Currey.Google Scholar
Vaughan, S. & Tronvoll, K.. 2003. ‘The culture of power in contemporary Ethiopian political life’, Stockholm: SIDA Studies No. 10.Google Scholar
World Bank. 2000. Ethiopia Regionalization Study. Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
World Bank. 2003. ‘Decentralization in Africa: emerging trends and progress’, <http://www.worldbank.org/africa/findings> (viewed September 2006).+(viewed+September+2006).>Google Scholar
World Bank. 2004. Ethiopia: public expenditure review: the emerging challenge. Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Wunsch, J. S. 2001. ‘Decentralization, local governance and “recentralization” in Africa’, Public Administration and Development 21: 277–88.Google Scholar
Young, J. 1998. ‘Regionalism and democracy in Ethiopia’, Third World Quarterly 19, 2: 191–204.Google Scholar