Challenges and opportunities abstract the study analyses the role of federalism in solving the national and ethnic conflicts. John mcgarry and brendan oleary, the political regulation of national and ethnic conflict, parliamentary affairs,vol. New perspectives in german studies series standing order isbn 0333924304 outside north america only you can receive future titles in this series as they are published by placing a standing order. View comparative federalism research papers on academia. Ethnic federalism and its discontents, african report no. Biblical thought is federal from the latin foedus, covenant from first to lastfrom gods covenant with noah establishing the biblical equivalent of what philosophers were later to term natural law to the jews reaffirmation of the sinai covenant under the leadership. This chapter aims at providing a general background about the politics of. Since 1991, ethiopia has gone further than any other country in using ethnicity as the fundamental organizing principle of a federal system of government. For ethnonational rebel groups like the onlf ogaden.
The current regime in ethiopia adopted ethnic federalism and redesigned the country along ethnic lines as soon as it took political power in 1991. The impact of the inclusion of secession clause in the. Ethnonational groups are, thus, bestowed with the right to selfadministration as well as the opportunities to influence central policies. All of the communist and postcolonial federations that broke apart. Weaknesses of ethnic federalism in ethiopia siraw megibaru temesgen abstract. Coercive, cooperative, and collaborative federalism in. Perceptions of ethnic federalism and the ethiopian diaspora. Furthermore, ethnic federalism has failed to resolve the national question.
Territorial federalism might have been a viable path in 1991, long before ethnic federalism took root. Even for distinct schools of thoughts, federalism mean different. Weaknesses of ethnic federalism in ethiopia ijhssi. In this chapter, we focus on this form of powersharing. I develop this proposal more formally here, showing how the definition of federalism can be derived from first principles within the context of a methodological and conceptual analysis. Tesfaye habisso is a former ethiopian ambassodor to south africa. Prepared under the sponsorship of the justice and legal system research institute. 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. This is similar to canadian model of political organization. In fact, the problem is sufciently complex that no mere denition will sufce. Erato kozakoumarcoullis former minister of foreign affairs at the roundtable discussion organized by the european. Ethnic federalism and its discontents crisis group. Pdf ethiopia adopted ethnic federalism and restructured the regions along ethnic lines as soon as the. Jan 23, 2019 territorial federalism might have been a viable path in 1991, long before ethnic federalism took root.
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. This immediately raises a number of the complexities that beset this subject and that mechanistic discussions of it tend to ignore or obscure. While federalism speaks to local control and popular sovereignty, the. Usa, frg, multiethnic switzerland, presentday russia and multinational forms former. Cooperative federalism, 193280 cooperative federalism characterized by compliance with and increasing acquiescence in federallydefined and funded, coproduced programs. The eprdfs ethnic federalism has not dampened con flict, but rather. Ethiopia is an ancient country with a number of peculiarities.
This concluded by positing a suggestion for a revised understanding of the federal concept. Pdf one of the core principles instituted by the post1991 government in ethiopia that took power after a successful armed struggle was. In order to discuss federalism at a theoretical level at least, it is necessary to dene it. Pdf ethnicbased federalism and ethnicity in ethiopia. Isajiw university of toronto paper presented at joint canadaunited states conference on themeasurement of ethnicity, ottawa, ontario, canada, april 2, 1992. The history of federalism stems from the formation of confederations that sought to give more powers to their central governments. Federalism, by allowing power to be at once divided and coordinated, enables respect for different identities, accommodation, multicultural co. Federalism and the constitution download federalism and the constitution ebook pdf or read online books in pdf, epub, and mobi format. Constitution, ethnic federalism and article 39 of the constitution that awarded the selfrule. To be sure, article 39 14, under the title the rights of nations, nationalities and peoples, of the 1991 consti.
Federalism is a concept considered in political science as a classical form of government, especially when viewed next to the unitary form. For amhara and national elites, ethnic federalism impedes a strong, unitary nationstate. Dr bekalu atnafu taye is assistant professor at kotebe metropolitan university, addis ababa, ethiopia. Diffenent modelsdifferent challenges advantagesdisadvantages by dr. The existing ethnic federal arrangement of eprdf is devised with the aim to accommodate the interests of distinct ethnic groups in ethiopia. Thus, one also may find a definition according to which federalism in its broadest sense marks a multilayer or pluralistic concept of social and political life. Ethiopias invention of ethnic based federalism had been the center for academic and political debates for the past two decades. Federalism is a means of ensuring peace, stability and mutual accommodation in countries that have territorially concentrated differences of identity, ethnicity, religion or language. The model and making of ethnic federalism in ethiopia diva portal. Related terms are mu lti ethnic federa lism 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.
The first ones are the normative federalist ideologies which often 4 see. Federalism and ethnic conflict regulation in india and. From this point of view it describes the main types of modern federal state. German federalism in historical perspective maiken umbach 1 2 federal habits. The aim of this article is to examine the prevalence of ethnic conflict in ethiopia and to. Ethiopias invention of ethnicbased federalism had been the center for academic and political debates for the past two decades.
Yet people disagree as to whether it is a practical policy or an underlying principle. Ethnic federalism institutionalized ethnic groups as fundamental constituents of the state. The developmental state and ethnic federalism in ethiopia manifestation of selfrule and local autonomy. Biblical thought is federal from the latin foedus, covenant from first to lastfrom gods covenant with noah establishing the biblical equivalent of what philosophers were later to term natural law to the jews reaffirmation of the sinai covenant under the leadership of. Actors, power and mobiliza tion under ethnic federalism, is made up of a laconic. The eprdfs ethnic policy has empowered some groups but has not been accompanied by dialogue and reconciliation.
Federalism overview in the pr eviou s chapter, we noted that v ertical divi sion of power among different levels of government is one of the major forms of powersharing in modern democr acies. This is more so in the cases of ethnic federations where functionality is also of vital importance for the viability and sustainability of the federal arrangement. Click download or read online button to federalism and the constitution book pdf for free now. Unity v diversity ethiopias ethnic federalism is being tested. Pdf weaknesses of ethnic federalism in ethiopia haymi. Federalism, definition, meaning, concept, sovereignty, federal union.
Well, its a funny thing to define federalism because it is something that defines the constitutional system. It is hardly surprising that their minorities broke free when the opportunity arose. In this short essay, i approach the question of ethnic federalism in ethiopia from yet another perspective. Published in challenges of measuring an ethnic world. Sign up to our free daily newsletter, the economist today. A means for managing or a triggering factor for ethnic conflicts in ethiopia federalism is debatable not only in practice but also at theoretical levels. And yet this pioneering experiment in ethnic federalism has been largely ignored in the growing literature on democratization and ethnicity in africa and on the accommodation of ethnic diversity in democratic states. Ethnic federali sm is a feder al system of national government in which th e federat ed units are defined according t o ethnici ty. That is, in one system there will be a mixture of two governments state government with central government. In india, we can describe federalism as a distribution of authority around local, national, and state governments. Can ethnic federalism help to manage ethnic conflicts and accommodate national diversity. It established them as social categories sharply distinct from the overarching category of citizenship. Hence, ethnic federalism was installed voluntarily after the overthrow.
It is against the backdrop of an inadequate application of the preceding suppositions in ethiopian ethnic federalism that this book may be comprehended p. Federalism and the challenge for human and civil rights. Ethnic federalism is a federal system of national government in which the federated units are defined according to ethnicity. Perceptions of ethnic federalism and the ethiopian diaspora community in the us by kassaw tafere merie msw, arizona state university, 2015 mbl, university of south africa, 2011 ba, addis ababa university, 1994 dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy public policy and administration.
Pdf the developmental state and ethnic federalism in. Download pdf federalism and the constitution free online. Violence between ethnic groups has put the country on edge. The case of ethnicbased federalism in ethiopia article pdf available october 2008 with 20,512 reads how we measure reads. The case of ethnicbased federalism in ethiopia journal of. Aalborg universitet restructuring state and society ethnic. A means for managing or a triggering factor for ethnic conflicts in ethiopia. It is the aim of this paper to juxtapose the benefits and the dangers of ethnic federalism as it is currently practiced in ethiopia. Federalism and the challenge for human and civil rights john valery white1 devolution of governmental power to subnational constitutional entities is a growing trend operating in tension with the other major trends in international law and policy, human rights and globalization. Rather than asking whether ethnic federalism is right for.
Taking everything into account, the system of ethnic federalism applied in ethiopia for the past 20 years and more by the narrow clique is bankrupted now. It is impossible to have an appropriate process of nationbuilding once you have institutionalized ethnic schism on the authority of pretentious federalism. How far federalism, in particular ethnic federalism practically solves problem of multiethnicity is yet to be seen. Being one of the most diverse nations in the world, ethiopia is not an exception to be free from ethnic conflicts due to its weak political structures and mal governance. Related terms are multi ethnic federalism and ethnofederalism. Except where otherwise noted content on this site is licensed under a creative commons 2. Now that the ethnic federal experiment is more than a decade old, it is possible to make a tentative evaluation of its performance. Actors, power and mobilization under ethnic federalism, e. However, daring decision has already been made in 1995 in ethiopia adopting this approach as a solution to the longstanding ethnic problems of the country. Unity v diversity ethiopias ethnic federalism is being. Theoretically, ethnic federalism endorses the principle of a voluntary union and it is therefore a positive factor for the current system. Perceptions of ethnic federalism and the ethiopian. Federalism is debatable not only in practice but also at theoretical levels. In spite of all the criticism and skepticism, the ethiopian government claims it is committed to fully.
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