THE ROLE OF DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENTAL STATE IDEOLOGY FOR NATIONAL INTEGRATION

FOLLOWING THE DOWNFALL OF THE ‘‘DERGUE’’ REGIME (1974-1991) IN 1991, MANY PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT ETHIOPIA WOULD BE ‘ANOTHER SOMALIA’ IN THE HORN OF AFRICA. HOWEVER, THE 1995 FEDERAL DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC O F ETHIOPIA (FDRE) CONSTITUTION SAVED THE COUNTRY FROM FURTHER DISINTEGRATION FOLLOWING THE CESSATION OF ERITREA FROM ETHIOPIA BY INTRODUCING ETHNIC FEDERALISM. THE CONSTITUTION RECOGNIZES ALL ETHNIC GROUPS ARE EQUAL, AND HAVE FULL RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION UP-TO-CESSATION WITHOUT ANY NEED FOR (BLOODY) WAR. YET, MANY SCHOLARS AND OPPOSITION POLITICIANS HAVE REPEATEDLY CRITICIZED THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT UP -TO-CESSATION AS IF IT FURTHER INSTIGATE REGIONAL STATES AND ETHNIC GROUP CALL FOR INDEPENDENCE. BESID ES, THEY CRITICIZED ETHNIC BASED FEDERALISM MAKES CITIZENS NOT TO IDENTIFY THEMSELVES AS THEY ARE ETHIOPIANS, RATHER AS THEY BELONG TO A CERTAIN ETHNIC GROUP. NONETHELESS, THE RULING ETHIOPIA PEOPLE’S REVOLUTIONARY DEMOCRATIC FRONT (EPRDF) CLAIMS THAT IT IS NOT ETHNIC FEDERALISM RATHER POVERTY WOULD THREATEN THE COUNTRY’S EXISTENCE. AFTER ADOPTING A NUMBER OF DEVELOPMENT POLICIES AND PROGRAMS FROM THE WEST, THE GOVERNMENT FINALLY REALIZED THAT THESE STRATEGIES DIDN’T HELP THE COUNTRY REDUCE POVERTY. AS A RE SULT, THE GOVERNMENT ADOPTED ‘DEVELOPMENTAL STATE’ IDEOLOGY FROM ASIAN TIGERS. THUS, THIS DESK STUDY AIMS TO ASSESS THE RATIONALE, SUCCESSES FOLLOWING THE ADOPTION THE NEW IDEOLOGY AND ROLE OF DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENTAL STATE IDEOLOGY FOR NATIONAL INTEGRATIO N FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE 1995 FDRE CONSTITUTION.

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