Mediating unity and diversity through Federalism in Ethiopia - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Mediating unity and diversity through Federalism in Ethiopia Project implimentor: Colin Rowe Promoter: Prof. Dr. Helder De Schutter

Outline • The project • Finance • Impact strategy and goals • Success • Difficulties • Reactions • Lessons learned and tips

What is normative federal theory? • The basis of this project is the normative political philosophy of federalism.  The project • Normative theory is the research into how things ‘should’ or ‘ought’ to  Finance be.  Impact strategy • Federations, like Belgium and Ethiopia, are states where powers are and goals distributed between different levels of government such that  Success subgroups have a certain level of autonomy over certain affairs.  Difficulties • Federalism has been theorized in political philosophy to have the  Reactions capacity to realize ethnocultural justice, by providing self-government  Lessons learned rights to various national-linguistic groups and tips • In this way, federalism can be theorized as a fair way to provide recognition to both sub-state national identities and state-wide national identities – this conception of federalism has been labelled ‘federalism as fairness’ (De Schutter 2011)

What was the project about? • Ethiopia is a highly diverse multiethnic federal state where normative federal theory has not been considered.  The project • There are 105 million people in Ethiopia and over 80 nationalities and  Finance languages.  Impact strategy • This provided a great opportunity to: and goals 1. To introduce normative federalism to the Ethiopian context.  Success 2. Broaden input into federal theory by including Ethiopia and Ethiopian researchers  Difficulties and thereby extend normative theories focus beyond North America and Europe • From a more practical point of view Ethiopia, has faced and still faces  Reactions intense and violent tensions between demands for national unity and  Lessons learned secession. Introducing normative federalism into the discourse and tips surrounding federalism could: Further Ethiopia’s federal self-understanding. o Allow Ethiopian scholars to thematize the moral challenges o intrinsic to federalism. Help local groups understand whether federalism can be an o attractive and fair alternative to secession or a unitary state.

How was the project supported? • The project was supported through a Global Minds grant.  The project • Global Minds grants are given by VLIR-UOS, which:  Finance “Supports partnerships between universities and university colleges in Flanders (Belgium) and the South (hemisphere) looking for innovative  Impact strategy responses to global and local challenges.” and goals • 6 month project ending December 2018.  Success • 20 000 Euros.  Difficulties  Reactions  Lessons learned and tips

Difficulties in financing the project • The project first applied for funding through a VLIR-  The project UOS ‘South Initiative’. This was unsuccessful.  Finance • Challenges in getting a project like this funded include:  Impact strategy 1. Within philosophy, there is little in the way of and goals experience or past projects to rely on.  Success 2. Output or outcome based project requirements are  Difficulties harder to quantify in philosophy projects.  Reactions • They want a research proposal that shows a clear outcome  Lessons learned goal of a 25% increase in potato yields. and tips • In political theory, the best output is to provide a political- philosophical moral toolbox, an enriched discourse. • Doing so is possible, but it is a challenge.

Project impact goals The project had both academic and social goals:  The project  Finance Academic strategy:  Impact strategy ‘Bringing Ethiopia into the federal family’ and goals To introduce and integrate Ethiopian research, context and  Success researchers into current discussions about federalism, not  Difficulties as a novelty or interesting case but on an equal footing.  Reactions  Lessons learned and tips Social strategy: To add the normative dimension of federal theory into the discussions surrounding federalism in Ethiopia.

Concrete project impact goals • A one month research stay for the Ethiopian promoter of  The project the project at KU Leuven, including talks and a seminar.  Finance • A one week research stay in Mekelle, Ethiopia (and  Impact strategy Addis Ababa) including: and goals teaching modules with masters students  Success o a multiday workshop with researchers from Ethiopia,  Difficulties o KU Leuven, Oslo and Paris  Reactions  Lessons learned a roundtable o and tips meeting with political actors o discussions about ways forward with Ethiopian o colleagues.

Project successes: Defining success What is successful outreach in a philosophy  The project project?  Finance • Because the goal is not to drive home a particular  Impact strategy and goals solution, traditional impact stories need to be adapted.  Success • We did not want to achieve particular policy changes or  Difficulties argue for a particular government or social structure.  Reactions • Instead we wanted to provide a normative toolbox to  Lessons learned and tips enhance local academic and societal discussion.

Project successes • On the academic side this project was a success.  The project This being a new project without pre-existing o  Finance conncetions, we created ties with researchers and  Impact strategy students at Mekelle University on federalism and goals Had a fruitful workshop  Success o Have a special issue in the works to disseminate the  Difficulties o project further.  Reactions  Lessons learned • Within Ethiopia we had fruitful discussions with some and tips political figures. • Local dissemination of the project in Tigray through TV interviews done by our Ethiopian colleagues.

What could have gone better? • There was minimal diversity in terms of gender  The project and cultural groups within Ethiopia.  Finance Reasons: different academic culture? lack of local  Impact strategy o capacity in organizing conferences? Controversial and goals nature of the project? Threat of violence?  Success • The meeting with public officials was fruitful  Difficulties  Reactions but the roundtable could not be organized in  Lessons learned time. and tips • The length of the project limited its sustained impact.

How did our colleagues react? • Colleagues in our discipline were intrigued by  The project the project, its impact and that it was carried  Finance out in the first place.  Impact strategy and goals  Success  Difficulties  Reactions  Lessons learned and tips

What can be learned from this project? • Diversity of inclusion: This means include as diverse a group  The project of people within the project as well as contacting as diverse a group.  Finance •  Impact strategy Don’t undersell the social impact. and goals • The importance of thinking creatively about discipline-specific  Success criteria of success, e.g. from “25% potato yield increase” to  Difficulties “giving Ethiopian experts of federalism access to the normative political philosophy of federalism field” or “make  Reactions local political groups aware of the moral challenges involved in  Lessons learned federalism, unitarianism and secession”. and tips • Genuine, positive and clear outcomes can come out of our research and should be emphasized, it is important to write in the jargon needed to get the funding but I think pretending to be the sciences sells our impact short.