Institutionalization of IGR in the Ethiopian Federation: Towards Cooperative or Coercive Federalism?

Abstract

Academics and practitioners agree that intergovernmental relations (IGR) in the Ethiopian federation are in need of some level of formal institutionalization. Constitutional principles, current IGR practices in the federation, and comparative studies in federalism lend support to advocacy of strong institutionalization. Recently, collaborative work by the responsible federal institutions, the House of Federation and Ministry of Federal Affairs, has been moving towards institutionalization of IGR. Moreover, achieving genuine federalism and its implementation requires coherent IGR principles and practices. The argument for the institutionalization of IGR generally aims to ensure that regional states participate and make their voices heard in federal legislation and policies, since IGR is a mechanism for consultation with and inclusion of regional interests in federal legislation and policy formulation prior to their implementation. That being said, the proposed institutionalization would have to address key factors that so far have obscured the role and outcomes of IGR. These include a hierarchical political culture; a high degree of ruling-party influence; the insignificance of the role assigned to professionals; trade-offs between formal rule and informal norms; and an incoherent vision of federalism. As such, the success of IGR schemes in Ethiopia would depend on the extent to which these challenges can be surmounted. Beyond seeking the establishment of institutions, the institutionalization proposal should keep the federal spirit alive and develop a clear model of federalism.