Challenges and Opportunities for Inclusive Development in Ethiopia

Description

As part of its on-going public dialogue program on progress in Ethiopia�s development and public policy the Forum for Social Studies is undertaking a project of research and public dialogue on a number of selected topics on the theme of 'Prospects and Challenges for Inclusive and Participatory Development in Ethiopia'. The aim is to enable researchers and professionals to present evidence-based papers to stimulate debate and reflection. This first book in the program looks at the impact of development or lack of it, on specific social groups, namely women, young people and vulnerable groups that should be entitled to decent social care.

Informations

• Publié par: Forum for Social Studies
• Date de parution: 29 décembre 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789994450695
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 5 Mo

Extrait

Design + Print @ Eclipse [phone]/23

Challenges and Opportunities
for Inclusive Development in
Ethiopia



Proceedings of Conferences held in 2017

Dessalegn Rahmato
and
Meheret Ayenew
(Editors)




© 2018 Forum for Social Studies (FSS)
All rights reserved.
Printed in Addis Ababa



ISBN: 978-99944-50-67-1

Forum for Social Studies (FSS)
P.O. Box 25864 code 1000
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Email: [e-mail]
Web: www.fssethiopia.org.et

This proceeding has been published with the financial support of the European
Union through its Ethiopia Civil Society Fund II. The contents of the
proceeding are the sole responsibilities of the authors and can under no
circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union or
the FSS.

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Contents

Preface .................................................................................................................v
The Politics of Inclusive and Participatory Development: What is Ethiopia’s
Experience? …………………………………………………………………………….1
Yonas Ahine
Gender and Economic Opportunities ................................................................39
Mehret Habte
Towards a More Inclusive Economic Growth and Social Development in
Ethiopia: The State of Vulnerable Social Groups and Social Protection .......... 69
Feleke Tadele
Youth Migration and Employment in Ethiopia ..............................................105
Zerihun Mohammed and Asnake Kefale
The Anatomy of the Ethiopian Civil Service: Is it Serving the Nation’s
Development and Governance Needs? .............................................................125
Meheret Ayenew
The Role and Contributions of CSOs in Achieving the GTP/SDGs in Ethiopia ... 157
Eshetu Bekele
Growth and Challenges of the Ethiopian Private Sector .................................. 177
Wolday Amha
Urbanization and linkages with rural economies in Ethiopia .......................... 219
Tegeng Tegegne Gebre-Egziabher


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Acknowledgement
Forum for Social Studies (FSS) wishes to express its gratitude and appreciation
to the Delegation of the European Union to Ethiopia Civil Society Fund II
(CSF-II) for the generous financial assistance for the project titled ‘Inclusive
and Participatory Development in Ethiopia: Opportunities and Challenges’ and
this subsequent publication. But, neither the Delegation nor the CSF II is
responsible either for the contents or any statements cited in this publication.



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Preface
June Conference on Inclusive Development
As part of its on-going public dialogue program on progress in Ethiopia’s
development and public policy, FSS is undertaking a project of research and
public dialogue on a number of selected topics on the theme of Prospects and
Challenges for Inclusive and Participatory Development in Ethiopia. The aim is
to enable researchers and professionals to present evidence-based papers to
stimulate debate and reflection. I now think the project we have chosen is a bit
too ambitious to be covered adequately within the resources available to FSS.
The thrust of the papers prepared focus on the whole on the challenges of
inclusiveness in development strategy. The recent upheavals in rural Ethiopia
which erupted against a backdrop of economic growth indicate that there are
serious challenges in the growth trajectory the country is following and that
there is a deficit in equity, inclusiveness and participation, and that a large
number of people feel either left out or that their interests are not sufficiently
addressed.
The project, Prospects and Challenges for Inclusive and Participatory
Development in Ethiopia has two major clusters, in each of which we have
grouped topics which are related and are best discussed together. Today we
discuss the topics in the first cluster; the discussion of the topics in the second
cluster will take place in late August.
I now think the project we have chosen is a bit too ambitious to be covered
adequately within the resources available to FSS. The thrust of the papers
prepared focus on the whole on the challenges of inclusiveness in development
strategy.
There is broad consensus that economic and social development programs that
are inclusive and promote stakeholder participation are more likely to be
successful and resilient. The UN’s recently adopted SDGs (a replacement of the
MDGs) recognize the importance of inclusive institutions for sustainable
development. The concepts of inclusiveness and participation are closely
related, and the one cannot be attained without the other. Inclusiveness itself has
two main aspects: it refers both to processes as well as outcomes. Economic
development will be more sustainable if there is an inclusive and participatory
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process of decision-making, involving a greater number of stakeholders and
representatives, on the one hand, and the benefits (or outcomes) of development
are widely shared in society, on the other. Thus the concept brings into focus
both the institutions of economic decision-making, and the social soundness of
economic outcomes.
The country has registered steady economic growth for at least a decade and
half, with the government claiming double-digit growth for a good part of this
period, though this is disputed by a number of authoritative sources.
Government and other documents reporting on this success story tend to be full
of dry and quantitative narrative in the midst of which the human and everyday
elements are invisible. The broad aggregate figures filling the pages of these
documents do not really tell us much about their meaning to families,
communities, social groups. It takes large-scale social events such the rural
unrest of 2015 and 2016 to indicate that despite the growth figures and claims
there are a large group of people who are discontented because they believe
they have been left out. While many of the protestors in these events were
young people, there were, according to anecdotal evidence, a good number of
not-so-young people, including peasant farmers, who used the occasion to make
a statement. So it is important to ask what kind of economic change has taken
place in the last decade and half, and whether the benefits of that change have
been shared by all or only by a small segment of society. I believe examining
the relevance of inclusiveness in development strategy formulation is very
relevant for us at this time.
Today’s discussion, the first cluster, looks at the impact of development or lack
of it, on specific social groups, namely women, young people and vulnerable
groups that should be entitled to decent social care. The discussion is preceded
by a general reflection on inclusiveness in the country’s development
experience. Here, I believe it is important to ask whether there are structural
impediments underlying the country’s political economy to inclusive
decisionmaking. Does, for example, the ideology of the development state, which
informs government economic planning and strategy, prohibit or discourage
inclusiveness? Is one-party dominance and de-facto one party governance, and
the absence of diversity in public affairs, pose obstacles to inclusive
decisionmaking?
As you all know the Government has recently established a special fund of
several billion birr to support employment, training and other programs for
young people. It is obvious that coming hot on the heels of the recent rural
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process of decision-making, involving a greater number of stakeholders and unrest, the program is in the nature of crisis management. But it is also a
representatives, on the one hand, and the benefits (or outcomes) of development recognition that economic growth has not trickled down to the young and
are widely shared in society, on the other. Thus the concept brings into focus something has to be done. Young people in fact have been demonstrating their
both the institutions of economic decision-making, and the social soundness of discontent in various ways for some time, of which the one that has raised most
economic outcomes. concern has been the immense risks they have been taking to migrate to the
Gulf countries, South Africa and across the Mediterranean to Europe. As we
The country has registered steady economic growth for at least a decade and shall see in the discussion this morning, the horrible tragedies that illegal
half, with the government claiming double-digit growth for a good part of this
immigration has brought about has not deterred the flow of young people into
period, though this is disputed by a number of authoritative sources. the hands of criminal people smugglers. Behind this desperate attempt to go to
Government and other documents reporting on this success story tend to be full
what is believed to be much greener pastures is a strong statement, namely that
of dry and quantitative narrative in the midst of which the human and everyday
there is no future for the young here in their own country.
elements are invisible. The broad aggregate fi