The Dilemma of Federalism in Ethiopia: Re-configuration as “Geographic Federalism”, or Making Multinational Federalism Func-tional?

Abstract

12AbstractThe debate about federalism in Ethiopia is between those who want to reconfigure the federation on the basis of geographic factors and those who want to maintain multinational federalism by making it a true project of state- or nation-building. This study aims to shift the discourse from a focus on model selection to one on the substantive content of multinational federation. Guided by comparative theories of federalism, the study contends that Ethiopia’s federation can be a genuine state- or nation-building project if, first and foremost, it addresses the issues – an inclu-sive Ethiopian state, the nationality question, and land rights – that originally led to its adoption. As there can be no authentic multinational federation without democracy, the democratic el-ement of the federation has to be ensured through democratiza-tion of the Ethiopian state and attainment of popular legitimacy, constitutionalism and the rule of law. The federation also has to adopt and implement institutional and policy frameworks that balance national cohesion with the accommodation of diversity. Moreover, the functionality of multinational federation depends on the presence of strong institutions of intergovernmental rela-tions that can replace the age-old core-periphery relationship with a dispensation in line with federal principles. Ethiopia’s multinational federalism cannot be genuine either while there is a lingering unitarist political culture, which means that this authoritarian tradition has to be replaced by a federal political culture; to this end, what is needed are federalists whose federal ideas, convictions and actions – or minds, hearts and deeds – are in harmony with each other. Lastly, going by the lessons of durable as well as defunct multinational federations, Ethiopia has to make the necessary adjustments to respond to changing circumstances.