The purpose of this study was to explore salient issues in the Ethiopian telecommunications sector. In doing so, the research investigated the institutional history and origins of state-monopoly of telecommunications in Ethiopia from the first ministerial level communications-related institution, the Ministry of Posts, Telegraph and Telephone, to Ethio-Telecom presently. Using a theoretical framework informed by political economy of communications, development studies and political science, the study explored the foundations, rationales and implications of contesting ideologies in the Ethiopian telecommunications sector involving the Ethiopian state and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The study also explored the extent to which, and why, the Ethiopian public endorses/denounces state monopoly of the telecommunications sector. It also investigated the premises on which Sino-Ethiopian partnerships in the Ethiopian telecommunications sector are laid. A triangulated, multi-method research approach involving document analysis, online survey and semi-structured interviewing was employed in this study. World Bank documents and other secondary resources were analyzed to chronicle the institutional history of telecommunications in Ethiopia. IMF reports and Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front economic programs and political manifestos were carefully examined to address contesting liberalization discourses pertinent to the Ethiopian telecommunications sector. An online survey was administered to collect public opinion about, among other things, state monopoly of telecommunications in Ethiopia. Ethiopian government officials, IMF country representatives, Ethio-Telecom consultants and other important figures were interviewed to explore the pros and cons of Sino-Ethiopian relations in the Ethiopian telecommunications sector as well. The study revealed that a host of different factors, most notably the rise of China as an alternative global economic power, have shifted Ethiopia's preference of global development partnership from West to East including in telecommunications infrastructure development. Growing concerns over state monopoly of telecommunications were reported by users, particularly in relation to lack of quality of services and fear of surveillance. / 2015-03-29

The Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) is a reform rebellion that came to power in 1991 and continues to rule with varying level of success in accordance to its promises. This dissertation attempts to provide a full account of the evolution of the EPRDF government and challenges to its promised state building project, and seeks to explore the extent to which its early guiding philosophy and leadership evolved and shaped its transition to and performance as a government. Understanding current gaps and limitations of the EPRDF in government and the key drivers for those is not possible without a comprehensive understanding of the genesis of the organization, its model of leadership and its institutional values. Unfortunately, very few and incomplete accounts of the liberation war are now available in writing as a result of the difficulties of the war environment. Accounts of the critical moments and decisions that shaped the internal institutional values and norms of the organization are mostly available in the memories of individual leaders who by now are at their retirement age and some are already passing away without writing their memoirs. In researching and writing this dissertation, I brought a special perspective to bear as an author: I was a veteran of the armed struggle, a member of its leadership team during the revolutionary war, and played a role during the transitional government and its critical initial years in government. My role in the struggle is the strength and the limitation of this study. The findings of the study show that it some of the critical success factors in the civil war have much to do with the EPRDF early organization and leadership philosophy that guided the movement through the different phases of its organizational growth, leading to maturity and eventual development into the governing political party. Understanding its wartime values and strategies helps understand not only the drivers for its successes in government but also its limitations. The research examines the critical factors for the success of the rebellion in comparison to various contending rebellions that failed. It also chronicles the evolution of the EPRDF into a party that leads a government, its achievements and limitations. It also illustrates how the behavior of the organization and its model of leadership evolved in government. The evolution of the leadership is chronicled along the different phases of in war and in government. Analyzing the economic and political model of the organization is not the focus of the research and will only be covered as much as it helped understand the leadership model, which the researcher considered to be at the center of its successes and limitations. The research places the EPRDF rebellion and government in a comparative theoretical context of African rebellions, civil wars, and transitions to democracy. It argues that the EPRDF represents an important and under-recognized case that demands a revision to the dominant paradigms on African liberation movements and their transition into government. The EPRDF case shows the limitation of the taxonomy of reform rebellions as it overlooks critical variations that shaped its internal behavior. The impact of its particular organizing philosophy of restructuring the Ethiopian state and its leadership culture of theorizing in particular played an important role in shaping its internal behavior. The study also highlights the limitation of the literature in understanding the ‘stateness’ of violent non-state actors and its impacts in their transition to a ruling party. The ERPDF’s high level of ‘stateness’ has contributed significantly to its transition from leading a war into leading a government. / Graduate / 2019-06-21

This thesis examines the historical introduction and spatial expansion of modern water supply infrastructure in Amhara region across the three successive regimes: imperial, military, and EPRDF. It attempts to explore the institutional setup of the three governments together with their policies and strategies. The study also aims at giving an idea about the socio-economic changes registered because of improved access to safe water. Furthermore, it assesses the water consumption and conservation pattern of the society and the environmental impact of the water infrastructure development. Modern infrastructure development in Ethiopia traced its beginning back to the late 19th century. Safe drinking water supply had been one of those modern infrastructures introduced in Addis Ababa. Not long afterwards, it proliferated to the provinces. In Amhara region, drinking water supply infrastructure construction began in the early 20th century. However, this thesis inquired whether there was a programmed water supply infrastructure development before the mid-1950s or not. The water supply work started gaining momentum and became a state program in the late imperial period. However, it was affected by financial, technological and trained human resource constraints, lack of appropriate institution, defective management systems, and improper implementation methods. The military government had strengthened water supply institutions and improved workers' expertise. These developments helped the water supply infrastructure work to be executed in a programmed manner. Yet, financial restraints, the incessant political chaos of the time and the accompanied disruptive working environment had greatly impacted the temporal and spatial coverage of the water supply infrastructure development. The promising start of the Derg period did not continue with similar pace during the early years of the EPRDF rule. Despite the efforts made to set up water institutions at Regional, Zonal and Woreda (district) levels, no significant achievement was recorded in the field. The aftermath of the civil war together with internal and external challenges epitomized the transition period had impinged on the water supply work. This thesis testifies to the emergence of some socio-economic changes in the region. Yet, the slow progress of the water supply infrastructure work had stalled the socio-economic change that should have been registered through improved access to safe water supply. Despite the observable environmental degradation, the thesis argues that the retarded water supply work had nothing to do with the dearth of fresh water. While the trend shows steady growth of water consumption level across the three regimes, the conservation habit of the population remained low. / D.Litt. et Phil. (History)