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BEYOND the PUBLIC REALM Local Governance Network and Service Development in the Amhara and Tigray Regions, Ethiopia

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BEYOND the PUBLIC REALM Local Governance Network and Service Development in the Amhara and Tigray Regions, Ethiopia BEYOND THE PUBLIC REALM Local Governance Network and Service Development in the Amhara and Tigray Regions, Ethiopia A thesis submitted by Fenta Mandefro Abate (Ethiopia) in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN DEVELOPMENT STUDIES of the Institute of Social Studies, The Hague, The Netherlands April, 2007 Thesis Committee Promotor: Professor A.H.J. (Bert) Helmsing Institute of Social Studies, The Hague Co-Promotor: Professor Meine Pieter van Dijk UNESCO-IHE, Delft Institute of Social Studies, The Hague Examiners: Professor Jan Abbink African Studies Centre, Leiden Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam Dr Tegegne Gebre Egziabher Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa Professor Mohamed Salih Institute of Social Studies, The Hague This dissertation is part of the research programme of CERES, Research School for Resource Studies for Development. Funded by SAIL/ISS/RLDS/AAU/Ethiopia project. Cover design by Yafet John (www.jafexpro.com) © Copyright Shaker Publishing 2007 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. Printed in The Netherlands. ISBN 978-90-423-0313-3 Shaker Publishing BV Tel.: 043-3500424 St. Maartenslaan 26 Fax: 043-3255090 6221 AX Maastricht http:// www.shaker.nl In loving memory of the late Askal Mandefro, my oldest sister, and the late Damtachew Alemu, who supported and inspired me Acknowledgements Glory to Almighty God for giving me the endurance and tenacity to complete this study. In the long journey towards a PhD, I have been indebted to many people who contributed in one way or another to its successful completion. First and foremost, I am deeply indebted to my supervisors Professor A.H.J. (Bert) Helmsing, Professor Meine Pieter van Dijk and Dr Dele Olowu. Prof. Helmsing, the promoter with first responsibility, played a key role and contrib- uted the most, not only after I joined the ISS PhD programme, but also before that. In 2000, when he was on a teaching mission to the Regional and Local Development Studies (RLDS) of the Addis Ababa University (AAU), he in- spired me to write a PhD research proposal on the area of local governance. He subsequently encouraged and advised me to apply for a research grant. Prof. Helmsing carried much of the supervision burden, particularly during the write- up phase when he continually challenged me and demanded the best that I could give. I am very grateful to him. I am also very grateful to Professor Meine Pieter van Dijk who accepted the co-promoter responsibility in December 2005, at critical phase of the thesis. I appreciate his meticulous reading of the draft chapters and his constructive criticism that contributed to the final manuscript. The encouragement and moral support he provided were an incentive to carry on. I also thank Dr Olowu who was my co-promoter in the first and second years, but could not continue during the write-up phase as he left the ISS. I also would like to thank my field supervisor Dr Meheret Ayenew of Addis Ababa University for his guidance during my fieldwork and his unwavering support and encouragement during all the phases of the PhD programme. His support and encouragement were also extended to my family whom I had to leave behind. I also wish to thank Professor Mohamed Salih for his comments during my thesis seminar and the encouragement he provided during the entire struggle of writing this thesis. I appreciate and acknowledge the cooperation and support that I received during my fieldwork from officials and experts at regional and local levels as well as from NGOs, donor agencies and CBOs’ representatives and experts. I am indebted to Ilse Lelong Evertse and Joy Misa, my editor and formatter respectively, who made the thesis more readable. I would like to acknowledge the generous financial support that I received from the SAIL/ISS/RLDS/AAU/Ethiopia project. I would like to extend my iv Beyond the Public Realm v deep gratitude to AAU, for granting me leave of absence to continue my stud- ies in The Netherlands. During my stay at ISS, I enjoyed the support of many people. My special thanks go to Ank v.d. Berg and Els Mulder who were more than supportive. Ank, I will always remember you. My gratitude also goes to Maureen Koster and Dita Dirks of the PhD secretariat, Martin Blok, Els van de Weele, Cynthia Recto-Carreon, and Lubana Sharwani of the Student Office; John Sinjorgo and Rosa van der Zwan of the Finance Office, Sylvia Cattermole of the Facilities Office, and to all members of the Library and IT Services. I acknowledge the encouragement and intellectual support of my fellow ISS colleagues Admasu Shiferaw, Getnet Alemu, Paulos Chanie, and Nicholas Awortwi. I will also remember my friendship with Merra Tegegne, Albert Musisi, Daniel Oshi, Tewodros Bekafa, Flimon Hadro, Akinyinka Akinyoade, Malika Basu, Awortwe Jerome, Girma Hailu, Jalele Erega, Belihu, Sleshi Te- mesgen, Getachew Ali, and Ahmed Abtew. I very much enjoyed the compan- ionship of my officemates Nicky Pouw, M.V.S. Cantillo, Rakhi Gupta and Aamer Abdulah Seyd. I also enjoyed the encouragement and support of many fellow Ethiopians at different universities and institutes in The Netherlands of whom the following are most important: Mehari Mekonnen, Yemisrach Bekalu, Getnet Tadele, Woldeab Teshome, Aklilu Amsalu, Qesis Mulugeta Seyoum, Ayalew Tadele, Taye Husien, Wondimagegne Gihday, Alemayehu Wassie, As- nake Kefale, and Zenebe Gebre Egziabher. During his frequent visits to The Netherlands, Reta Alemu inspired me with a special spiritual value that gave me stamina to finish this PhD. The congregations of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in The Hague, Amsterdam and Rotterdam are places that offered me rest and peace. Every Sunday, I was able to get rid of the week’s worries and confusion. I am deeply indebted to all the congregation members. Special thanks should, how- ever, go to Mulugeta and Fetlework, and Alemu and Woinshet whose homes were havens for me at times of intense stress. I cannot fail to acknowledge Fik- rte, Abiy, Engda and Abeba, Gash Tadesse and Tadesu, Kiflemariam and Dirb, Gash Menbere and Etye Tsahai, and Captain Nigussie whose spiritual, material and moral support were invaluable. Thanks are also due to many friends back home. Special thanks to Worku Yaze who played a decisive role in filling many emotional and material gaps for my family. The following are others who also provided my family with im- mense emotional and moral support when I was in the field and in The Nether- lands: Meseret Melese, Gash Baye, Dereje Baye, Kassa Awoke, Molla Berhanu, the late Worku Milikte, Sesen Teferra, Yigremew Adal, and all my neighbours, especially Diakon Baye. I have an immense debt of gratitude in respect of my parents: Qesis Mande- fro Abate and Aseres Sharew whose prayer and encouragement were a great source of energy throughout my studies. My brother-in-law Mengiste Abate, my vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS brother Getachew, my sister Gedam, and my sister-in-law Mitikie Bizualem also provided me with great emotional and spiritual support. Finally, this study would have not been possible without the unquantifiable love, encouragement and support offered by my wife, Fetlework Bizualem. Be- sides enduring the pain of separation for an extended period, Fetlework shoul- dered an unimaginable burden of responsibilities single-handedly. She not only assumed the difficult task of raising our children, Hilena and Ananiya, but also accepted the burden of the ever-increasing and never-satisfied demands of our extended families. Although she was overwhelmed by all these responsibilities, she was always energetic and patient, which gave me more energy to work hard. Last but not least, I am deeply indebted to my children Hilena and Ananiya who paid no less a price in terms of deferring the need for paternal love when I was in The Netherlands. Ananiya, whom I left him behind when he was only two – at the time he needed my presence most – paid an immense price. Anan, I can assure you that I have completed my studies and will be back with you soon. Fenta Mandefro Abate Contents Acknowledgements iv List of Tables, Boxes and Figures xi List of Abbreviations xiii Abstract xvi 1 Introduction to the Study 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Research Statement 3 1.3 Research Objectives 4 1.4 Specific Research Questions 5 1.5 Data and Analytical Approaches 5 1.6 Challenges and Limitations 9 1.7 Organization of the Thesis 10 Notes 12 2 Local Government, Governance and Decentralization: A Review 13 2.1 Introduction 13 2.2 Decentralization and Local Governance in Africa: an Overview 14 2.3 Decentralization and Local Government: Understanding the Paradigm Shift 16 2.4 Local Governance: Meaning and Emergence in the Development Debate 23 2.5 Local Governance and the Changing Role of Government 27 2.6 Local Governance Network (LGN): a New Approach to Local Development 33 2.6.1 Understanding the essence of an LGN 33 2.6.2 The emergence of the LGN approach to local development 37 2.6.3 LGN actors 39 vii viii Contents 2.6.4 Formation and typology of a network 43 2.6.5 LGN management and coordination 45 2.6.6 LGN learning 48 2.6.7 Synthesizing the features and challenges of an LGN 50 2.7 Conclusion: Towards a Framework of Analysis 52 3 Local Government and Governance in Ethiopia: Looking Back into the Present 60 3.1 Introduction 60 3.2 Local Government and Governance in Pre-1991
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