Political Power and Ethnic Federalism: The Struggle for Democracy in Ethiopia

In 1991, an umbrella group of insurgent organizations overthrew the military government of Ethiopia, promising democratic reform and political decentralization. The author examines the development of this process, arguing that the Ethiopian model of promoting ethnic identity is unique in African state building and offers lessons for democratization and self-determination based on group rights. He also explores the economic policy followed by the government, suggesting that the adoption of World Bank/IMF market-oriented policies is likely to have severe political and economic consequences, at least in the short term. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR