Compatibility between Democratic Developmental State and Federal System in Ethiopia

The Democratic Developmental State model intends to promote economic growth and democracy at the same time.

Since 2000's the ruling party EPRDF declared that the Democratic Developmental State is the only model which can lift Ethiopia out of poverty by building up an authentic democratic system. The party states that this due to the fact that the democratic developmental state is the best alternative to be implemented in developing countries. Both the party and the government of Ethiopia explained that a system which is not democratic can't be applied in Ethiopia because Ethiopia is a country based on diversity. So, any kind of political model to be implemented in Ethiopia should include democracy as its basis. From the point of view of its administrative structure, Ethiopia is a federal state.

The compatibility of the Democratic Developmental State and the Federal Democratic State is addressed by many authors. However, the issue of Democratic Developmental State and the federalist model to be applied in the administration of the state is not discussed in an adequate manner. In this essay, the author Yemane Gebreselasse analyses the compatibility between the Democratic Developmental State and the Federal System in Ethiopia.

The development of Ethiopia shows some very impressive achievements but also some drawbacks. The country has registered a rapid economic growth after it has adopted the new model. However, there are some critical points: one is the lack of the elite commitment, the other the lack of an effective bureaucracy. Furthermore, strong institutions are missing. This results in a weak democratization process.

"Some argue that Federalism is a decentralised system of government while DDS needs centralised planning. But in the case of Ethiopia there are two layers of administration, and these are the federal and regional government, which means that there is a power distribution between them."