Decentralization of Power and Local Autonomy in Ethiopian Federal System: A Look at Two Decades Experiment
Issue:
Volume 1, Issue 3, September 2016
Pages:
45-58
Received:
24 June 2016
Accepted:
15 July 2016
Published:
6 August 2016
DOI:
10.11648/j.urp.20160103.11
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Abstract: The main purpose of this study is to undertake an academic assessment on the practice of prevailing decentralization in ensuring good governance at local government in Ethiopia. Although politics is the driving force behind devolution in most countries, fortunately, decentralization may be one of those instances where good politics and economics may serve the same end. In Ethiopia, soon after the end of the cold war, a revolution group called Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) controlled state power in 1991. Despite different commitment to achieve local autonomy and good governance, the country’s governance suffers from a number of limitations in the last two decades. In this respect, the research question revolves around to what extent the existing devolution of power and resources ensuring good governance and democratization process. The research method employed to this study is qualitative method and a descriptive case study research design. The time of 1980s was a “turning point”, particularly in the developing countries that decentralization and good governance became an agenda through policy and academic arena. In Ethiopia, as a policy making, to link decentralization with (good) governance is a very recent phenomenon. Subsequently, since 2001/2, the second wave of decentralization that is DLDP has been implementing. The finding of the study shows a mixed outcome. In one hand, since decentralized power and resource, different institutions, and associations are established. While a decentralized system of governance has formally been introduced in Ethiopia, this paper argues that local authorities still remain instruments of political control by the central government. This and other related factors contributed to lack of local autonomy and good governance that generate a wide public protest for the past many years. In so doing it highlights the factors that continue the trend of central control of local government despite extensive formal decentralization and institutional arrangement. Practically the process of ensuring good governance under a decentralized political system in the study Woreda is far from desirable that is undermined by lack of financial and human resources, existence of one dominant ruling political party, low implementation capacity and lack of adequate autonomy. Therefore, unless measures are taken the challenge of good governance would continue being the worst which will facilitate the existing public protest further.
Abstract: The main purpose of this study is to undertake an academic assessment on the practice of prevailing decentralization in ensuring good governance at local government in Ethiopia. Although politics is the driving force behind devolution in most countries, fortunately, decentralization may be one of those instances where good politics and economics ma...
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Livelihood Survival Strategies in Declining Towns of Sub Saharan Africa: Evidence from Nkongsamba, Cameroon
Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi,
Ndi Humphrey Ngala,
Essame Ewoba Serge Alain
Issue:
Volume 1, Issue 3, September 2016
Pages:
59-67
Received:
30 July 2016
Accepted:
8 August 2016
Published:
18 September 2016
DOI:
10.11648/j.urp.20160103.12
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Abstract: Sub Saharan Africa’s economic meltdown which could be traced from the 1980s had a toll on export agriculture which served as a springboard for some urban economies. Such an economic malaise was greeted by a loss of urban vitality leading to urban decline. Ever since this unwanted phenomenon crept into the urban scene, urban geographers have largely focused on analyzing the processes leading to urban decline with a view of suggesting ways of revitalizing the urban environment. However, an important aspect which seemed to have eluded urban geographical literature or better still remains insufficient, concerns scientific perspectives on the livelihood survival strategies employed by urban residents in the face of decline. This is particularly true for the historic town of Nkongsamba which was hitherto ranked among the leading towns in Cameroon. The town witnessed a significant decline in its vitality which is largely attributed to the decline in the crop (coffee) export sector. This has precipitated the introduction of alternative livelihood survival strategies by the urban residents. Using a systematic sampling of 120 respondents drawn from the diverse livelihood sectors, complemented by in-depth interviews, field observations and secondary data, we analyse the current livelihood survival strategies of the population and their future perspectives. Our analysis lead us to the conclusion that the numerous livelihood strategies adopted (a switch to activities such as commercial motorbike riding, street food vending, urban agriculture, sales at kiosks, among others) are still makeshift in nature and are largely constrained by livelihood assets. In this regard, there is a need for urban development stakeholders to undertake participatory urban development project design and implementation which will help the town regain its economic vibrancy, very much reminiscent of the crop export years.
Abstract: Sub Saharan Africa’s economic meltdown which could be traced from the 1980s had a toll on export agriculture which served as a springboard for some urban economies. Such an economic malaise was greeted by a loss of urban vitality leading to urban decline. Ever since this unwanted phenomenon crept into the urban scene, urban geographers have largely...
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